THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 


THE   COLLECTION  OF 
NORTH   CAROLINIANA 


C378 
UIO 

1839M 


UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


L_ 


00036721388 


This  book  must  not 
be  token  from  the 
Library  building. 


Digitized  by  tine  Internet  Arciiive 

in  2010  witii  funding  from 

University  of  Nortii  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


http://www.archive.org/details/addressdeliveredOOmcqu 


fiyLU   ,i^m'&m-^u 


bv:LirLKnii  BKFoas 


T1I£  ALLM.^I  .4IVn  GRAOrATiarO  CJLAS9 


tS^SS'II'^lgJlB^IIi]'^  ©IF  :5S^®mi?IEI(S^2^®MSJ<4^ 


ON'  THE   AFTER^fOON    PRECKDINO 


^ommtnttmtut  Bssi» 


IN    GERARD    HALL,   JUNE   '28,   1839. 


B¥  MUGU  Mci^U:££iV. 


PRINTED    AT    THE    OFFICE    OF    THE    RALRIGH    REGISTER. 
1839. 


Phllanth-oplc  Hull,  AuguL.t  \Sih,  1S?9. 

DtAn  Sin: — Al  a  nieeliiig  of  the  Piiilanllirupic  Socuty,  held  on  the  i7iii 
inst.  the  following  Resolution  was  unanimously  adopted: 

"  Resolved,  That  the  Committee  of  Correspondence  be  instructed  lo  lender 
the  thanks  of  this  Society  to  Hrnn  McQlkkn,  Ksquiro,  for  the  hishly  eloqueni 
and  appropriate  Address  delivered  before  the  Alumni  and  Graduating  (JIass, 
on  the  evening  preceding  Commencement,  and  request  a  copy  of  the  same 
for  publication." 

In  complying  with  the  instruction  of  our  Society,  permit  us  to  express  the 
gratification  we  ex|)erienced  during  its  delivery,  and  respectfully  lo  add  our 
own  solicitations  to  thoae  of  the  Socii  ly. 

Yours,  respectfully, 

DANL.  L.KENAN,  "p 
DAVID  A.  DARNES.CCommiiiee. 
WM.  F.  DANCY.      3 
Hugh  McQueen,  Esq. 


Raleigh,  Auguii  24,   1839. 

Gentlemen  : — I  have  just  received  your  [)olite  communication  of  the  ISili 
inst.  in  which  I  am  requested  to  provide  you  with  a  copy  of  the  Address  whicli 
was  delivered  before  the  Alumni  and  Graduating  Class  of  ihe  University  of 
this  Slate,  on  the  evening  preceding  Commencement  Day  ;  and  should  iiavo 
promptly  replied  to  it,  had  I  not  been  suddenly  called  from  home  by  an  impe- 
rious obligalion  of  duly,  and  detained  for  a  length  of  time  beyond  my  original 
expectations.  I  can  now  assure  yciu,  however,  that  I  feel  a  very  unafiecled 
degree  of  hesitancy  in  yielding  to  the  slern  criticism  of  the  public,  a  production 
which  wss  prepared  in  an  interval  of  time,  greatly  too  brief  to  aflord  the  mea- 
Bure  of  mature  reflection  and  of  palient  research,  which  was  prescribed  by  the 
importance  of  the  duty. 

As  I  was  influenced,  however,  in  accepting  the  appoinlment,  by  no  other 
motive  than  that  of  an  ardent  desire  lo  accomplish  the  wishes  of  the  Society, 
it  would  not  become  me,  at  this  point  of  time,  lo  ob.struct  the  fulfilment  of  its 
desires,  when  expressed  on  a  different  branch  of  the  same  subject.  If,  then, 
you  should  be  impressed  with  the  conviction  that  even  a  partial  measure  of 
good  may  flow  from  the  publication  of  the  Address,  it  is  tesigned  to  your  dis- 
cretion, wit!>  its  numerous  and  varied  imperfections.  And  j)ermit  me,  through 
you,  to  make  an  offering  lo  the  Philanthrojiic  Society  of  the  lively  and  pro- 
found sensibility  which  I  have  experiencetl  in  the  approving  sentence  which 
it  has  kindly  passed  upon  ray  imperfect  attempt  in  its  service.  And  accept. 
Gentlemen,  for  yourselves,  ihe  assurance  ot  my  most  cordial  gratitude  and  re- 
gard for  the  gratifying  manner  in  which  you  have  performed  your  duty. 

HUGH  McQueen. 

Messrs,  P.  L.  Kenan,  1).  A.  Barnes,  W.  F,  Dancy,  Coinmitlcc,  «&<;. 


AI>BMS<:S§, 


GeXTLEMEX    AlUMM    oh    TilE 

Unu'ersitv  or  Noiri!!  Cauoeina  : 
It  is  a  task  of  fearful  ma,s,"aiUide  and  of  startling  responsibi- 
lity, to  climb  that  perilous  nnd  sacred  moinit,  where  the  seers 
of  Literature  have  h.ilherlo  stood — nnd  from  its  bright  and 
lofty  summit,  to  take  a  _2;linipse  of  the  landscape  of  promise, 
and  to  deliver  to  an  assembly  of  exquisite  taste,  polished  ele- 
gance and  A'aricd  attainments,  tiiose  maxims  of  conduct,  an 
implicit  obedience  to  which  will  lead  the  devout  enquirer  to 
the  heart  of  its  flowery  and  enchanting  domain.  This  is  a 
dut}',  from  tlie  painful  responsibilities  of  winch,  I  most  de- 
voutly sought  a  deliverance,  with  the  fond  and  animating 
hope,  that  the  generous  confidence  of  youth  and  the  severe 
judgment  of  maturity,  would  luive  been  each  rewarded  for 
its  attendance  here,  in  the  sweets  of  a  banquet  prepared  and 
adjusted  l)y  a  master's  h.and.  In  this  pleasing  expectation, 
we  have  been  mournfuriy  disappointed  ;  and  that  interesting 
picture,  which  was  to  have  received  its  mixture  of  lights  and 
of  shades,  its  touches  of  grandeur  and  of  elegance,  from  the  vi- 
vid pencil  of  some  Ll'erary  Appelles,  who  migiit  snatch  the 
loveliest  tints  from  every  chosen  flower  of  literature,  and 
blend  them  in  one  harmonious  system  of  beauty,  for  the  gra- 
tification of  every  beholder,  has  l^een  delineated  by  a  mere 
apprentice  at  the  slirine  of  the  Muses.  But  it  has  been  re- 
corded in  the  sublime  charter  of  our  immortal  faith,  that  the 
farthing  which  dropped  from  the  sincere  beneficence  of  the. 
upright  heart  and  pure,  v.-as  sanctified  by  the  iiumility  of  the 
ofTering — that  it  is  purity  nf  iicart  which  lends  its  loveliest 
hue  to  the  robe  of  aiip,cl  bfightnesi=,  and   that  it  is  purity  of 


4  ADDHESS. 

heart  which  imparts  its  sweetest  note  to  the  &ong  of  seraph  raji- 
ture,  amid  the  abodes  of  celestial  bliss.  If  then,  the  cup  of  cold 
water,  which  is  now  presented  foryourrefreshmentby  an  hum- 
ble soldier  in  the  army  of  letters,  may  be  appreciated  for  the 
unmingled  sincerity  of  heart  which  has  dictated  the  offering, 
your  critical  severity  will  be  disarmed  of  its  terrors,  and  the 
trembling  imperfections  of  the  speaker,  will  find  a  soothing  ab- 
solution in  your  generous  charities.  For  I  have  ascended  this 
holy  eminence,  which  has  been  consecrated  by  the  service 
of  God  and  of  Science,  by  the  ministrations  of  religion  and  of 
letters,  to  oiler  the  oblation  of  an  affectionate  heart  at  the 
shrine  of  youthful  friendship,  and  to  plead  with  humble, 
but  with  fearless  confidence,  for  the  best  interests  of  our 
father-land. 

Many  of  you  have  disrobed  yourselves  for  a  brief  interval, 
of  the  coarse  livery  of  customary  labors  and  pursuits,  and 
have  deserted,  for  the  prosecution  of  holier  objects,  that  wide 
domain  which  is  occupied  by  the  cares  of  earth  and  of  sense, 
the  concerns  of  flesh  and  of  blood.  You  have  assembled 
here  to  cheer,  by  your  presence,  our  3'oung  friends,  in  the 
first  scene  of  practical  life,  which  is  now  opening  rapidly  up- 
on them — to  paint  in  fresh  (-OiOrM  upon  the  page  of  njemorj', 
those  incidents  of  the  past  which  have  now  grown  dim  with 
age, and  to  invoke  the  benedictions  of  the  presiding  genius  of 
America  upon  the  intellectual  interests  of  our  race.  And 
the  sun,  in  his  beneficent  course,  has  never  yet  poured  his 
genial  and  resplendent  beams  upon  a  more  sublime  and  beau- 
tiful spectacle,  than  collective  man,  dedicating  the  fervid  flow 
of  his  feelings  and  the  intense  action  of  his  thoughts,  to  the  pro- 
motion of  intelligence  and  virtue.  This  is  a  scene  upon  which 
angels  may  smile  with  eomplacency  from  their  blissful  heights 
in  the  skies,  and  around  which  the  sliades  of  the  sainted 
founders  of  this  Temple  of  Science  will  hover  with  a  mea- 
sure of  sacred  solicitude  and  .iftection.  More  especially,  does 
the  sanctitv  of  the  scene  \\!'iich  is  now  n.i'isinir  ;nvav.  renuire 


a  broad  page  in  the  hij^tury  of  lifr  on  \s  hich  1o  rccoril  tin 
touching:;  incidents  of  liv.'  ]);i;t  whic!)  it  so  forcibb,'  revivn^. 
The  shadows  of  departed  lime  ;irise  as  tliicdv  as  the  .shadows 
of  evening,  to  ^•iudic■.ltc  the  honoi- of  t.hc  plaee.  The  dimlv 
remembered  forms  and  face's  of  youtliful  friends,  lonu;  since 
ilispersed  and  scattered  over  difibretit  climes  and  countries, 
start  up  amid  these  solemn  sliades.  to  claim 'afresh  that  space 
in  your  hearts,  VNdiich  they  filled  in  the  seasons  which  are 
gone  ;  and,  what  is  yet  more  touchina:;  to  the  sympathies  of 
the  soul,  the  marred  images  of  those  engaging  vouths,  who 
sunk  to  the  grave  aiidd  the  laboi's  of  this  institution,  arise 
from  the  coverts  of  the  jiast,  and  implore  at  your  hands  thrt 
tribute  of  a  sigh,  for  the  joys  wliich  they  once  communicated 
to  your  bosonu<  They  solicit  from  you  the  tear  of  silent  sviii- 
pathy,  lo  moisten  the  narrow  cell  whieli  guards  their  peace- 
ful dust,  and  tiis  flower  of  afteclion  to  deck  the  sinking;  mound 
vv'hich  marks  the  spot  of  their  long  repose.  Go,  liien,  to  yon 
City  of  Silen.ce,  where  some  of  your  departed  associates  have 
taken  up  their  abode  forever — Go,  read  the  comDcndious  le- 
gend of  the  tomi) — Go.  sec  the  crumijling  enclosure,  the 
matted  grass,  ae.d  th.e  mouldering  marble,  and  calch  from 
these  mournful  en;!5lenis  of  mortal  decay,  a  spirit  of  pathos, 
v.-hich  will  soften  your  aflections  and  ])urify  the  springs  of 
.sublunr.ry  care  front  all  the  dregs  of  earth  and  of  t;,v.e.  Is 
there  somciliing  too  eiiemisiate,  too  delicate  and  poetic  in 
these  sacred  gushes  of  sensiljiiily,  for  the  stoutness  of  a  mascu- 
line heart?  Look  at  tlie  eonquei'or  of  Xapoleon,  wdio,  after 
the  bird  of  victor}-  h.ad  perched  upon  the  standard  of  Britain, 
surrendered  his  Iieroic  bosom  to  the  soft  pi^lpitations  of 
grief,  and  sprinkled  the  ticld  of  the  slain  with  a  hero's  tears. 
Look  at  the  Prince  of  Roman  Kloquence,  wiio,  fired  with 
the  glowing  raptures  of  enthusiasm,  by  th.e  splendid  intellec- 
tual achievcmcnis  which  had  ci-owned  tiie  labors  of  Archi- 
ricdcs,  wandered  th.rough  brushwood  and  brambies,  in  ^earcb 


G  ADDP.KSS. 

of  the  gra\"c  of  that.  2;kiiiI  iiiarlvr  in  the  ca;!:^c  of  science,  anci 
shed  the  tears  ofecslaey  over  his  tomb. 

Yes,  the  utiiit.arian  spirit  of  the  ;ige  ni.iy  decry  every  deli- 
cate sentiment  which  never  crosses  tiie  narrow  circle  of  its 
own  sordid  avocations;  hut  there  is,  yet,  a  spirit  of  locality, 
which  reproduces  upon  tlie  tai^leLs  of  the  human  heart,  in  all 
their  freshness,  the  Aided  im;'gesof  the  past,  which  rekindles 
in  t!ic  sobered  heart  of  asie.  tiie  'j-iow-insi;  fires  of  youth,  which 
freshens  up  the  beating  puises  of  animation  and  of  life,  in 
that  heart  which  has  long  been  the  refuge  of  sorrov>-,  of  care 
and  of  heaviness,  iind  which  eievntes  the  soul  upon  the  wing 
of  fancy,  to  realms  beyond  the  ken  of  mortal  vision.  Buffon 
was  alive  to  the  reality  of  this  sentiment,  wdien  composing 
his  enchanting  book  of  Nature — Gibbon  felt  it,  in  all  its  force, 
when  framing  his  luminous  pages  on  the  decline  and  fall  of 
the  Roman  Empire — Byron  was  transported  by  its  power, 
when  lingering  among  the  broken  columns  and  other  perish- 
ing traces  of  Attic  glory,  and  every  susceptit>le  and  expansive 
heart  is  warmed  by  its  genial  fervor,  on  renewing  its  acquain- 
tance with  any  scene  of  form.er  glory  or  of  former  associations. 
The  magic  pov^-er  of  local  association,  by  the  force  of  its 
creative  touch,  has  summoned  into  existence  many  of  the  most 
brilliant  achieve'.iients  in  arms  which  have  ever  yet  convul- 
sed the  glohe — many  of  the  most  enchanting  productions 
in  fiction,  v/hich  have  ever  yet  beguiled  the  hours  of  leisure, 
and  many  of  tlie  most  fascinating  numbers  in  verse,  which 
have  ever  vet  glowed  amongthe  printed  treasures  of  the  world. 

The  celebrated  Alexander  Pope  has  long  consecrated,  in 
the  estimation  of  genius,  the  chamber  in  which  he  completed 
one  of  his  most  admired  productions,  by  scratching  with  the 
jjoint  of  a  diamond,  on  a  pane  in  one  of  its  windows^  the  in- 
scription. "In  the  year  1718,  Alexander  Pope  completed 
here  the  fifth  volume  of  Homer.*'  This  illustrious  bard,  too, 
felt  that  tVesh  powers  of  creation  w?re  imparted  to  his  imagi- 
.uation,  bv  |).;i-!nu;  o\-cr  the  garret  In  wjiioh  .Mr.  Addison  had 


AUDKJvSS,  -7 

tt>\npl('ted  one  oi"  his  most,  accepted  wuiks:  and  t!!Ousaiid> 
ul' susceplible  minds  liuse  euii2;hl  ihe  giuw  ut'  inspiration,  in 
*>urveving  the  nulal  bcone  ol' the  Bard  of  Avon,  and  in  ])a3s- 
ing  ihroui^li  tlu-  i;loomy  joassagcs  oi  WestniinsU-r  Abbey, 
whore  repose  ihc  buried  glories  of  Britain. 

Why  is  it,  that  a  sprig,  taken  from  the  sequestered  grave 
of  the  exile  of  St.  Helena,  with  more  than  historic  force, 
brings  into  living  play  all  the  illustrious  associations  con- 
nected with  the  life  and  fortunes  of  that  astonishing  man? — 
Why  is  it,  that  a  fragment  of  marble,  taken  from  the  pillars 
of  the  Colliseum,  delineates  to  the  cultivated  imagination,  in 
vivid  hues,  all  the  storied  scenes  of  classic  renown?  Why  is 
it,  that  the  most  trilling  relic  from  the  tomb  of  a  country's 
buried  love,  recals,  in  all  the  affluence  of  their  splendour  and 
power  of  effect,  the  august  train  of  incidents  v.hich  adorn  the 
pages  of  our  Revolutionary  history?  Y\hy  is  it,  thr.t  the 
native  of  Switzerland,  when  he  once  catches  the  passion  for 
homCj  pines  and  droops  and  languishes  until  he  is  favoured 
with  a  glimpse  of  the  romantic  vales,  chrystal  lakes  and  Al- 
pine heights,  which  variegate  the  surface  of  his  country  ?  And 
why  is  it,  that  the  pilgrim  passes  over,  with  pleasure  and  alac- 
rity, mountains,  whose  towering  summits  pierce  the  skies,  and 
perilous  streams  and  parching  sands  and  pathless  deserts,  to 
catch  a  glimpse  of  that  spot  which  was  once  honored  with  the 
custody  of  a  Saviour's  bones  ?  It  is  the  force  of  local  associa- 
tion— it  is  this  potent  spring  in  the  system  of  man,  which  has 
frequently  given  life  and  complexion  and  tone  to  the  most 
beneficent  designs  which  have  ever  yet  burst  in  splendid 
consuinmation  upon  the  world. 

It  has  been  recorded  by  an  eminent  writer,  with  an  impli- 
cit conviction  of  the  truth  of  the  remark,  that  there  is  no  hu- 
man being  who  ever  feels,  in  the  course  of  life's  feverish  and 
eventful  journey,  that  he  has  any  home  but  one,  and  that  is 
where  nature  arose  to  his  vision  blushing  with  the  roses  of 
life's  esriiest  morn. 


Betuci:!!  the  lionie  ol"  iiil'anev,  itnd  llit:  heurl.  of  virluo,  thit 
curtain  of  oblivion  shall  never  fall,  lis  incidents,  its  scenery, 
its  associations,  are  imprinted  upon  the  pages  of  meaiory  in 
characters  which  shall  never  fade-.  Oceans  and  trackless 
deserts  may  intervene  ;  grief  and  care  and  disap])oinluieat 
may  waste  away  and  finally  exhaust  the  native  buoyancy  of 
the  spirit;  \vc  may  lake  the  wings  of  the  morning  and  fly 
to  Clreenland'S  icy  mountains,  to  Alric's  l)urning  sands,  and 
to  Asia's  farthest  bounds;  but  the  memory  of  that  spot, 
vvhere  the  car  drank  in  the  earliest  music  of  affection,  where 
the  heart  vibrated  with  the  first  thrill  of  sensibility  and  de- 
light, and  where  the  young  imagination  received  its  first 
and  liveliest  tints,  shall  never  sink  behind  the  hills  of  the 
past.  .       ' 

If  then,  the  home  which  afforded  shelter  and  nourishment 
to  man's  physical  system  in  the  weakness  of  infanc}' ;  if  those 
scenes  of  glory  which  are  the  boast  of  distant  lands,  and  if 
inanimate  relics,  which  point  to  the  deeds  of  departed  heroes 
and  sages,  are  calculated  to  wrap  the  fancy  in   the  flames  of 
inspiration,  how  enduring  should  be  the  charms  which  hang 
upon  that  sacred  spot  where  the  immortal   intellect  first  re- 
ceived its  vigor,  its  beauty  and  its  richness?     With  what 
tender  and  solemn  emotions,  should  you  traverse  the  Halls 
in  which  you  first  shared  in  the  salutary  communion  of  Sci- 
ence arid  of  Literature  ?     With  what  thrilling  sensibility, 
should  you  pass  under  the  shade   of  those  venerable  Oaks 
which  once  afforded  you  a  peaceful  and  refreshing  retreat  in 
your  classic  and  scientific  researches  ?     With  what  subdued 
and  softened  feelings,  should  you  pass  over  the  lawns,  the 
rivulets  and  the  w^alks,  which  once  relaxed  the  severity  of 
your  youthful  studies;  and  with  what  heaving  bosoms  should 
you  read  upon  the  crumbling  bark  of  surrounding  trees,  and 
upon  the  fading  walls  of  familiar  tenements,  the   inscription 
of  many  honored  names,  which  have  long  been   transferred 
to  the  roll  of  mortality  ? 


ICdfriund  Buiht;  hii*;  remarked,  somewhere  in  his  rich  and 
glowing  p:ige3,  that  rhe  affections  of  the  human  heart  should 
resign  their  grasp  upon  the  interests  of  the  world,  at  least 
one  day  in  each  returning  week,  for  the  purpose  of  yielding 
it  lip  to  the  sublimating  power  of  celestial  thoughts  and  in- 
fluences. Is  it  not,  then,  upon  the  same  principle,  in  some 
degree  obligatory  upon  you,  to  come  up  once  in  each  return- 
ing year,  to  this  maternal  fountain  of  nourishment,  from 
which  you  drew  the  elements  of  manly  usefulness,  elegance 
and  vigor,  for  the  purpose  of  casting  off  the  gross  and  selfi^h 
cares  of  life,  to  mingle  your  thoughts  with  the  incidents  of 
departed  years,  to  pay  your  adorations  at  the  altar  of  Science 
and  Letters  and  the  Muses,  and  to  return  to  the  bustling  scene9 
of  life,  strongly  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  the  place? 

But  it  is  not  merely  to  partake  of  the  luxurious  sensations 
which  are  inspired  by  the  atmosphere  of  poetry  and  senti- 
ment, that  your  presence  is  frequently  demanded  here.  Your 
vigilant  and  tender  care  is  annually  solicited  here  by  objects 
which  are  intimately  connected  with  the  real  business  and 
substantial  interests  of  life.  Your  attendance  here  is  strenu- 
ously and  imperiously  enjoined  by  a  fond  respect  for  your 
juvenile  brethren  in  tlie  race  of  learning.  The  approving 
smiles  of  the  intelligent  and  the  refined,  of  the  lovely,  the 
delicate  and  the  beauiiful,  are  the  keenest,  the  most  active 
and  effective  incentives  uhich  spur  them  on  to  diligence  and 
virtue.  For  these  they  toil,  and  for  these  they  forego  the 
repose  of  their  nights,  and  for  these  they  resign,  without  a 
murmur,  the  gay  recre:itions  of  their  days;  and  if  it  were 
not  for  these  grand  spurs  to  action,  the  stream  of  their  exer- 
tions would  flow  in  a  sluggish  and  languid  current.  When 
they  are  annually  honored  by  the  presence  of  those  who  pre- 
ceded them  in  the  course  of  Collegiate  instruction,  they  are 
confirmed  in  the  belief  that  all  the  costly  appliances  of  Edu- 
cation, which  have  been  deposited  here  by  the  patriotic  be- 
neficence of  the  public,  are  something  more  than  an  empty 

B 


10  ,  APDRRSS.  .^J^ 

pageant — that  tlio  annual  investigation  of  t'hoir  acquisitions 
in  knowledge,  is  something  more  than  a  solemn  farce.  Thej- 
are  thus  inspired  with  the  indelihle  conviction,  that  these 
things  are  closely  intcrwuvcn  with  tlicir  prosperity  and  feli- 
city in  the  scenes  of  practical  life -,  for  they  see  those  who 
have  heen  heretofore  trained  beneath  the  peaceful  covert  of 
this  devoted  sanctuary  of  learning,  and  who  have  gone  forth 
and  participated  in  the  trying  struggles  of  life,  confessing  in 
a  solemn  and  imposing  manner,  by  their  annual  visits  to  this 
place,  that  there  is  a  sovereign  and  indispensable  eflicacy  in 
the  system  of  mental  discipline  practised  here. 

The  votaries  of  Religion  are  buoyed  up  and  animated,  at 
their  periodical  festivals,  by  the  presence  of  the  congregated 
thousands,  who  assemble  from  ail  parts  to  wn'tness  with  hal- 
lowed interest  and  subdued  feelings,  the  touching  ceremonies 
by  which  is  commemorated  the  benefit  of  eternal  salvation. 
Is  it  not  equally  natural  to  expect,  that  the  young  cultivators 
of  Science  and  Letters  will  be  strengthened  and  encouraged 
by  the  presence  of  those,  who  have  gone  before  them  in  the 
march  of  Collegiate  exertion  ?  Even  at  the  earlier  period  in 
the  history  of  our  race,  the  more  honorable  demonstrations 
of  youthful  excellence  were  publicly  rewarded  by  the  high- 
est and  most  flattering  tokens  of  the  public  esteem.  And  it 
has  been  often  observed  by  tliose,  who  are  in  the  habit  of 
marking  the  progress  of  causes  and  effects  in  the  department 
of  Literary  action,  that  the  energy,  ambition  and  usefulness 
of  the  Graduates  who  annually  emerge  from  the  South-Caro- 
lina College,  are  powerfully  enhanced  by  the  imposing  situa- 
tion of  that  University,  and  by  tlie  circumstance  of  its  annual 
Commencements  taking  place  simultaneously  with  the  meet- 
ings of  the  State  Legislature.  The  generous  Student  is  there 
encouraged  to  a  vigorous  exercise  of  his  powers,  by  a  know- 
ledge of  the  fact,  that  his  faithfulness  to  the  delicate  trust 
committed  to  his  charge  by  the  hand  of  parental  affection, 
will  be  publicly  made  known  to  men  of  celebrity  and  distinr- 


lion,  and  lo  tliusc  lanMiul  bluuiniii^  .sfiil.iiicis  which  Uic  mere}' 
of  Ilcavcu  has  placnl  on  the  watch-lowers  of  learning,  to 
cheer  and  slhnuhitc  liini  onward,  when  standhig  upon,  the 
threshold  of  a  glorious  career.  Under  these  circumstances, 
lie  is  at  once  introduced  to  the  knowledge  and  notice  of  every 
j)ortion  of  the  State:  and  to  this  cause  has  been  principally- 
ascribed  the  degree  of  superiority  which  lias  been  manifested 
in  the  National  Councils,  by  that  public-spirited  and  patriotic 
member  of  tlie  Confederacy,  as  compared  with  North- 
Carolina. 

Here,  it  frequently  happens,  that  the  Student  has  exerted 
himself  to  the  topmost  pitch  of  his  strength  to  attract  the 
applause  of  a  generous  audience — he  may  indulge  in  an  active 
round  of  preparations  to  minister  to  its  gratification — he  may 
distinguish  himself  by  a  cai'eer  of  untarnished  virtue — he 
may  bear  avv^ay  the  palm  of  scholarship  in  his  class,  and  in  the 
noble  exercises  of  writing  and  speaking — and  the  want  of  an 
assembly,  v/hich  might  be  enlightened  in  point  of  intelli- 
gence and  respectable  in  point  of  numbers  and  moral  worth, 
to  encourage  him  by  its  approving  smiles,  causes  his  noble 
emulation  to  sicken  and  languish  and  expire.  The  Commence- 
ments of  Harvard  and  of  Yale  are  the  most  imposing  cele- 
brations which  occur  in  the  Eastern  States,  and  this  circum- 
stance unquestionably  exerts  a  salutary  and  improving  influ- 
ence over  the  Literary  interests  of  that  department  of  the 
Union.  Literature,  among  our  brethren  of  the  North,  is  en- 
couraged, promoted  and  sustained  by  the  conservative  prin- 
ciple of  Literary  Societies  and  Conventions,  which  are  con- 
stantly in  motion.  The  flame  of  zeal  on  this  important  branch 
of  the  public  interests  can  consequently  never  flicker  in  hs 
socket,  nor  completely  expire  in  such  an  atmosphere.  It 
will  continue  to  spread  into  a  blaze  of  brighter  and  more 
commanding  lustre,  as  lung  as  the  pillars  of  the  Republic 
sluil]  stand.  ■  "  .  .  .< 


Theie  is  scarcely  any  eiiterprize  on  rarth,  which  is  con- 
eidcred  worthy  of  the  interest  of  a  free  people,  but  lifts  its 
drooping  crest  and  rises  to  a  loft}'  height  of  prosperity,  be- 
neath the  genial  influence  of  associated  efibrt.  Thesacrcd  coun- 
sels of  wisdom  and  of  peace,  which  are  to  sooth  the  expiring 
I  bosom,  and  to  raise  the  emancipated  spirit  to  realms  of  eter- 
nal light,  are  propagated  and  planted  under  the  benign  wing 
of  associated  effort.  i)o  you  wish  to  establish  a  Road,  to  cut 
.  a  Canal,  or  to  open  some  stream,  tvhich  is  to  bear  upon  it3 
generous  bosom  the  precious  fruit  of  a  farmer's  annual  toil,^.' 
The  laudable  undertaking  must  be  accomplished  by  the  re- 
sistless force  of  associated  effort.  Yes,  the  Chief  Magistrates 
of  the  nation  are  elevated  to  their  high  places,  and  hurled 
thence  again — candidates  for  popular  favor  and  distinction 
are  raised  to  general  acceptance  and  etTectualiy  put  down — 
Banking  and  other  commercial  institutions  are  established 
and  signally  prostrated — the  cause  of  Temperance,  and  of 
•  every  other  cause  within  the  expanded  range  of  human 
■  thought  and  of  human  care,  are  both  advanced  and  depressed 
by  the  efficacious  influence  of  public  meetings,  conventions 
and  associations.  Is  it  expected,  that  Science  and  Literature 
and  Education,  are  to  form  exceptions  to  the  extended  cata- 
logue of  human  interests,  and  force  their  way  to  solid  strength 
and  permanent  prosperity  without  other  assistance  than  such 
as  may  flow  from  their  own  superlative  and  persuasive  ex- 
cellence? This  appears  to  be  tlu-  reigning  sentiment  of  the 
public,  at  least  in  North-Caroiina.  For  where  is  there  with- 
in the  limits  of  this  State,  the  voluntary  association  of  indi- 
viduals, permanent  in  its  character,  fervid  in  its  spirit,  and 
active  in  its  exertions,  which  has  been  constituted  and  organ' 
izfed  for  the  avowed  purpose  of  fostering  the  interests  of  Edu- 
cation, or  of  any  one  branch  of  general  Scienec  av  Litera- 
ture. Very  true,  you  have  had  Hislorica!  Societies  and 
Literary  Institutions,  and  other  Education  Societies,  with 
titles  as  Ipns;  and   imposing   as   the    Dufchnian'^   narac — th* 


fuperscriptloa  ol  wliich  occupicl  njnr  of  thr"  p^p'^r  la.iii  ihr-, 
letters  ■which  were  directed  lo  h\n\.  But,  vvh-;rc  are  thos'^ 
associations?  Triinsienf  as  ihi-  vcni.il  >ho\vrr,  and  (ieetint; 
TiS  tiie  dew  of  inoriiin<r.  tKcy  h.-n  e  fcuicd.  iVom  iht;  i-oii  of  liv- 
ing things,  arid  belonti;  to  the  rt-curds  ni"  tlic  p.a>;.  >.(.)  asso- 
ciation of  pr;i(;ticui  servi'M»  lo  the  iiii.«.'r.'?^rs  (,f  I.'t(;r,;.turr>  and 
Scicnct'  now  exists  in  the  St-.ite.  of  Ni)rth-( 'urolina ;  lio  pu'n- 
lic  spirited  Society,  wliich  mia.iu  ser\"<-  lo  hcuij:;e  in  oy  its 
?ictive  and  beneficent  care.,  thf  sen.sitive  and  frai^rant  (lowers 
of  genius  whicli  .spring;  up  witldn  mii-  border;!;  whieii  )nifi;ht 
eerve  to  incite  mntured  intelligence  to  active  operation  for 
the  public  n;ood  ;  which  might  .stimulate  yonthiul  talent  to 
pRsay  the  strength  of  its  early  pinions  ;  which,  might  pre- 
5erve  from  oh'ivion  many  interesting  facts  and  prodnc- 
tions  which  are  oi'casion;dly  elicited  in  the  inlercourse  and 
operations  of  life,  ami  u'hich  ntigiit  dls<en)inaie  exten- 
sively among  tlic  people.  Mich  litciary  liocuments  and  pro- 
ductions as  would  renovate  llie  ;  spect  of  letters  in  tljis  de- 
partment of  the  Union,  and  eoin-f^rt  our  pi.-scnt  drearr  sur- 
face into  a  Literary  Arcadia.  It  is  by  a  communion  of  coun- 
sels, sympathy  of  i'eeiings,  ai;d  unit}-  uf  action,  that  Science, 
Literature  and  general  J-ldui-ation.  ]riu:^t  be  prospeni.l  and 
advanced  like  f:very  other  [wnsuit  in  life.  'W'jiat  mean.^ 
within  the  range  of  man's  j)oAers  nf  invetnion,  would  tend 
more  largely  to  give  fresii  impulse  to  tlie  cause  of  Literature 
and  Education  in  ;ims  State — to  impart  a  new  coni]dexion. 
lone  and  character  to  public  feeling,  than  a  Society  organi^'.ed 
at  some  point  with.iri  iun-  comprehensive  borders,  whose  pro- 
fessed object  should  be  to  encourage  and  expynd  these  in- 
estimable interests  ?  To  such  ^.u  association  ^vou[d  be  pre- 
sented, a  broad,  pi-oductivc  and  inviting  neid,  in  which  to 
rfccomplish  solid  and.  dur.ablc  ijenefits  for  its  cjimti-v.  and  to 
accumulate  laurels  of  imperishaid''  vcrv-'ure  to  aciorn  its  own 
l""'ow.  It  might  rescue  from  th'^-  ;M-;'ve  of  oblivjoij.  m-in*.' 
r"ecIou>  fact?  connected  >v!fb,  th'^  h:-torv  of  the  State,  v.diich 


i 


m.    .    <i~'  * 


14  ADDUEy^. 

\vill  SOU!)  he  irrecoverably  lost.  Jl  inighl  impart  conclu.'sivc 
information  to  tlic  world,  respecting  incidents  of  a  Revolu- 
tionary c'naracter,  which  are  intimately  associated  with  the 
glory  of  the  State.  It  might  forever  tear  away  from  the 
public  fame  of  some  of  her  darling  and  patriotic  sons,  that 
thin  veil  of  uncertainty  and  doubt,  which  has  been  woven  by 
the  fingers  of  a  malicious  and  satanic  jealousy.  At  its  an- 
nual meetings,  it  might  also  set  apart  questions  in  general 
Science  and  Literature,  witli  a  view  to  draw  forth  from  their 
living  rcpositoi-ics,  those  choice  treasures  and  beneficent 
lights,  the  hoarding  up  of  vv'hich  consumed  many  ^-ears 
and  mucli  treasure.  It  might  too  select  topics  of  general  in- 
terest in  the  dc})artmcnt  of  Education,  for  the  purpose  of 
eliciting  public  Addresses  and  private  dissertations  from  its 
members.  It  might  institute  a  correspondence  with  the  Lit- 
erary Societies  of  other  Countries  and  States,  and  it  might 
)-eceivc  and  disseminate  such  information  at  home,  as  would 
fan  into  a  flame  of  inextinguishable  and  commanding  splen- 
dour, the  present  smothered  embers  of  Literary  ardour. — 
Temples  dedicated  to  Science  would  raise  their  bright  spires 
1o  heaven,  on  scenes  now  shaded  by  the  grov/th  of  the  for- 
est and  by  the  miserable  hovel — the  passions  of  the  age  would 
be  meliorated  and  softened,  the  feelings  of  the  people  would 
1)0  chastened  and  enlarged,  and  our  manners  and  languages 
polished  and  refined. 

The  tic  of  association  wields  a  creative  pou'er  and  influ- 
■ence  by  the  continually  circulated  sympathies  of  its  mem- 
bers— a  reciprocity  of  Literary  favors  and  benefits  is  estab- 
lished among  the  members  of  such  a  Society,  which  never 
would  have  existed  under  any  other  circumstances — a  be- 
nevolent collision  of  intellectual  powers  is  thus  produced 
which  arouses  the  torpid  from  llieir  lethargy — which  encour- 
ages the  diffident  to  action — wliicli  attracts  the  secluded  vo- 
tary of  letters  from  the  cell  of  his  retirement,  to  diffuse  h'n' 
intellectual  resource:?  over  (lit  land,  for  liie  a;ood  and  dorv 


of  his  oDimlry,  and  whifli  ]")i'es."rv(^s  Tor  iho  lirnffit  nf  llif 
passint^  nnil  (if  rulurc  t;;oncratinns,  ihosfi  illuniinaling  sugjj;es- 
liiins  wliich  rrt'(|uently  fall  from  the  lips  of  men  of  genius, 
ill  the  glow  of  the  passing  moment,  and  vvdiich  would  he 
otherwise  consigned  to  perish  Avithout  leaving  a  perccptihle 
trace  behind  them. 

The  Royal  Society  of  London,  in  the  si)lcndour  and  value 
of  its  contributions  to  the  Literature  and  Science  of  Britain, 
and  in  the  Imperishable  celebiity  of  its  members,  has  raised 
a  monument  to  perpetuate  the  glory  of  its  character,  which 
will  outlive  the  pyramids  of  Egypt,  and  survive  the  wreck 
of  the  iliost  stupendous  fabrics  which  royal  munificence  has 
erected.  Yet,  v.-as  its  origin  so  humble  and  secure,  as  scarce- 
ly to  excite  observation.  The  French  Royal  Academy  of 
Sciences,  which  has  communicated  the  warmth  of  the  genial 
beams  of  knowledge  to  distant  shores  and  countries,  was  in- 
debted for  its  birth,  to  an  accidental  meeting  of  private  Indi- 
viduals which  occurred  at  a  public  inn  in  Paris.  The  Royal 
Society  of  Antiquaries  in  London,  which  has  separated 
from  the  useless  lumber  of  the  times,  so  many  of  tiie  most 
precious  fragments  of  the  Literature  of  past  ages,  was  so  in- 
significant in  its  earlier  labors,  as  neither  to  merit  nor  receive 
even  the  smallest  share  of  the  public  attention.  There  are 
also  Literary  Societies  in  many  of  the  States  of  this  Confed- 
eracy, which  have  powerful!}'  contributed  to  elevate  au'l 
adorn  the  character  of  American  Literature,  and  which,  like 
the  foreign  associations  just  referred  to,  bad  almost  imper- 
ceptible beginnings.  But  they  have  continued  to  grow  and 
strcnsthen,  enlarsinc;  the  circumference  of  their  usefuhiess 
and  influence,  whilst  years  were  passing  away,  until  they 
have  provided  a  tower  of  strength  for  the  interests  of  Science 
and  Literature,  upon  which  the  waves  of  popular  preju- 
dice and  the  sordid  and  selfish  passions  of  mankind  have 
wasted  their  energies  in  vain.  They  have  ushered  wonders 
into  the  world,  at  the  lirst  appearance  of  which,  the  young 


16  ADi)i;i:.s-. 

and  iaexperieiiced  strijjliug  in  Literature  shriaks  biick  with 
the  Same  sensations  of  amazement,  with  which  the  inhabi- 
taat  of  our  We.slern  forests  starts  back  at  the  hist  view  of 
the  Ocean.  .  .      ■ 

la  this  State,  there  are  citizens  whose  attainments  would 
have  reflected  iustre  on  the  reputation  of  any  age  or  any 
country;  but  because  there  is  no  conamon  purpose,  object,  or 
interest,  to  draw  them  together  in  one  solid  mass,  where  tiieir 
views  could  be  exchanged  and  compared,  their  literary  expo  ■ 
rience  revealed,  and  the  interesting  facts  in  their  possession 
made  known  to  each  otiier  and  to  the  world,  we  are  exposed 
to  the  humiliating  charge  of  being  afflicted  with  a  literary 
pauperism.  If  the  accomplished  sons  of  North-Carolina 
could  be  brought  together,  at  stated  periods,  by  an  imperious 
sense  of  interest  or  of  duty,  or  by  the  patriotic  ties  of  fra- 
ternal association,  the  character  of  the  State  would  be  elevated 
both  at  home  and  abroad  :  for  the  fact  would  be  clearly  de- 
monstrated to  ourselves  and  to  the  world,  by  the  labors  and 
productions  of  our  citizens,  that  this  Slate  was  not  the  Ara- 
bia Deserta  of  polished  int^dligence  ;  biit  that  it  was,  on  the 
contrary,  a  land  in  which  the  sweetest  flowers  of  Literature 
might  bloom,  and  where  ils  most  delicious  and  inviting  fruits 
might  be  reared  to  perfection. 

The  war  of  the  Revolution,  u\-  i)ringing  the  intellectual 
giants  of  the  country  together  at  the  different  points  of  legis- 
lative deliberation,  raised  (he  character  of  the  United  States 
for  eloquence  and  ability  in  the  councils  of  peaceful  wisdom, 
as  high  as  it  did  foi-  deeds  of  heroism  and  hardihood  in  the 
field  of  martial  strife.  Britain  and  other  foreign  nations  were 
not  aUne  astonished  at  the  brilliant  Speeches  and  other  pro- 
ductioiis  of  American  Statesmen,  who  were  drawn  together 
from  the  different  parts  and  extreinities  of  the  Union  by  the 
magnet!  of  common  perils  and  common  interests,  at  one  ceu- 
tral  point  of  deliberation.  The  people  of  this  country  were 
themselves  amazed  at  the  sudden  revelation  of  intellectual 


^^ 


ADDRE.SS.  1'?- 

lesoui'ces  which  had  hpeniurmcrly  lieJgeil  in  by  Stale  lines  and 
exerted  within  the  reliroel  shades  of  local  llieatres.  Thus  it 
is  with  the  literary  talents  and  acquirements  of  North-Caro- 
lina. The  profound  learning,  elegant  and  diversified  attain- 
ments and  correct  taste  of  her  enlightened  sons,  are  now  hid 
in  the  depths  of  retired  life,  buried  under  the  mass  of  profes- 
sional eno-ag-ements,  and  scattered  in  isolated  and  unconnected 
spots  over  the  broad  surface  of  the  State,  rendered  inefficient 
and  unproductive  by  the  want  of  some  potent  impetus  to  bring 
them  into  vigorous  play.  Provide  that  impetus,  and  the  tree 
of  literature  will  bud  and  blossom  like  the  vernal  rose;  its 
richly  flavored  fruit  will  be  suspended  from  its  healthful 
branches,  in  luxurious  and  inviting  clusters,  for  the  benefit 
and  gratification  of  her  own  sons — and  her  character  will 
emerge  into  an  enviable  notoriety  from  the  darkness  which 
now  hovers  over  it,  like  an  Elysian  landscape  after  the  shades 
of  night  have  been  dissipated  by  the  blushing  splendours  of 
the  morning  sun. 

Upon  whom  can  the  holy  task  of  'juilding  up  these  sacred 
interests  in  this  State,  by  the  efficacious  charm  of  combined 
exertion,  more  appropriately  devolve,  than  upon  those  of 
her  sons  who  have  participated  in  the  fostering  care  and  in 
the  highest  honors  which  flow  from  this  Institution — a  Sem- 
inary, which  has  been  established  and  sustained  through  all 
the  vicissitudes  of  fortune,  by  the  watchful  solicitude  and 
partial  munificence  of  the  State?  How  could  the  Ai.UMxr 
of  this  Institution  illustrate  their  own  public  spirit  in  a  more 
conspicuous  and  impressive  manner?  How  could  they  pos- 
sibly apply  the  intellectual  treasures  which  they  have  borne 
away  from  this  Institution,  to  a  nobler  and  more  hallowed 
purpose  ?  How  could  they  make  a  more  splendid  return  to 
the  public  for  the  benefits  which  they  have  derived  from 
the  endowments  of  this  University  ?  And  in  what  w:ay, 
could  they  manifest  the  affection  which  they  cherish  for  the 
scene  of  their  earlv  labors  and  associations,  in  a  more  lionor- 
c 


>.mmX> 


■•"•■• 


1»  AD,DKE.'^<. 

able  and  imposing  manner,  tl-iaii  by  forming  an  associatioff 
which  should  annually  convene  at  this  place^  for  the  avowed 
purpose  of  watching  over  and  promutlngihe  literature  of  the 
State  ? 

The  veterans  of  the  American  Revolution,  after  the  cir- 
cle of  our  liberties  had  been  completed  by  the  sucees- 
fuj  conclusion  of  that  ever  memorable  strug2;le,  were  sensi- 
bly afTeeled  at  the  though-t  of  the  sudden  severance  of  those 
ties  which  had  been  formed  and  cemented  by  a  long  associ- 
ation in  common  hardships,  sacrifices  and  dangers,  and  for  the 
purpose  of  periodically  reviving  their  lieroic  sympathies 
with  each  other,  and  of  preserving  that  correspondence  of 
affection  which  would  result  from  the  eflicacious  power  of 
an  occasional  intercourse,  they  established  the  society  of  the 
Cincinnati.  But  notwithstanding  the  object  they  had  in 
view  was  equally  sanctified  by  the  sacredness  of  the  purpose 
upon  which  it  was  founded,  and  by  the  hallowed  pleasures 
which  were  communicated  to  the  war-worn  bosom,  by  the 
occasional  meetings  whi^h  they  held,  these  tried  and  accept- 
ed patriots  were  severely  censured  by  a  rigid,  if  not  fastidi- 
ous spirit  of  Republicanism,  for  the  establishment  of  an  asso- 
ciation which  drew  a  broad  line  of  separation  between  the 
Military  and  Civil  professions,  and  for  that  principle  of  ex- 
clusiveness  which  entered  as  a  prominent  ingredient  into  the 
essence  of  its  constitution. 

Against  the  force  of  such  an  objection  as  this,  the  Alumni 
of  this  University  might  studiously  guard  any  association 
which  may  be  hereafter  formed  by  them,  by  inserting  in  the 
code  of  its  regulations,  an  article,  which  would  render  ad- 
missible by  the  consent  of  a  majority  of  its  members,  any 
distinguished  citizen  of  this  or  of  other  States,  whose  moral 
character,  literary  qualifications  and  general  reputation,  mijght 
promise  an  accession  of  strength  to  the  body. 

And  where,  permit  me  to  inquire,  is  there  any  locality  in 
this  State  more  admirably  suited  to  the  labors  and  dQlibera- 


,\T>Dnr,f-.^.  13 

lions  of  such  an  a3s<:mbly,  than  the  theatre  of  your  early  iw- 
telleclual  struggles.  It  arises  to  the  judgment  invested  with 
&  combination  of  attractive  circunistunces,  to  which  no  other 
situation  in  this  State  can  make  the  remotest  pretensions. — 
For  it  has  been  already  dedicated  in  a  solemn  manner  to  the 
guardianship  and  advancement  of  the  best  interests  of  litera- 
ture, and  the  Society  proposed  would  only  tend  to  con.suir.- 
mate  and  expand  tlic  grand  designs  for  which  the  Universi- 
ty itself  was  originally  called  into  being.  This  Institution 
is  withdrawn  from  the  bustle  of  active  life,  and  presents  to 
the  philosophic  eye,  one  spot  of  verdant  repose,  one  peace- 
ful and  serene  abode,  which  is  neither  poisoned  by  the  sor- 
did passions  and  sellish  cares  of  the  world,  nor  moksted  by 
the  boisterous  vociferations,  the  jarring  interests  and  mad- 
dening strifes  which  pervade  the  circle  of  political  conten- 
tion. Here,  the  tree  of  knowledge  may  be  hedged  in  by  a 
strong  and  impassable  enclosure,  and  may  grow  and  extend  its 
branches  in  security  and  in  strength,  for  the  benefit  of  all  who 
may  hunger  for  its  fruit  or  pant  lor  its  shade.  And  this 
secluded  spot,  by  being  converted  into  a  metropolis  of  let- 
ters, will  become  ti\e  most  attractive  circle  in  the  community. 
The  obscure  and  unfrequented  situation  of  this  place,  which 
has  proved  a  prolific  source  of  numerous  exceptions  to  it  as 
a  theatre  of  youthful  education,  may  prove  eminently  auspi- 
cious to  the  preservation  of  our  language  and  literature  in 
<heir  primitive  purity.  Here,  the  pure  stream  of  scholastic 
reflection  is  seldom  poisoned  by  the  noxious  exludations  which 
frequently  arise  from  the  troubled  pool  of  party  politics,  in  a 
more  public  sphere.  And  here,  the  current  of  speech  is,  in 
some  degree,  liberated  from  those  varied  corruptions  which 
are  frequently  imparted  to  language  by  a  promiscuous  com- 
munion with  men  in  early  life  In  this  calm  circle,  undis- 
tiirbed  by  the  din  of  surrounding  multitudes,  and  unengaged 
by  the fascinati-ng  gaieties, amu??ments  and  exhibitions  which, 
ire    furnifhed   in  pfrnicious    profu.'iion   b}-  /-rowded   .cities,. 


20  ■'^'  ADDKE^::^. 

the  young  aspirant  aitcr  the  beauties  ol'  lai^guagc  is  couipelf- 
ed,  in  self  defence,  to  draw  the  elements  of  speech  from  the. 
works  of  authors  whose  chiini  to  respect  ha?  been  sanctioned 
botii  by  the  reverend  sages  of  antiquity,  and  by  the  accom- 
plished disciples,  who  have  trod  with  devotion  in  the  path 
which  their  taste  and  wisdom  have  prescribed.  And  when 
he  retires  from  a  converse  with  books,  he  must  then  mingle 
in  conversation  with  tho^e  who  liave  drawn  their  resources 
of  speech  from  the  same  approved  sources,  around  which  he 
has  himself  lingered  with  delight.  ■  - 

We  are  presented  in  the  history  of  the  world,  with  many 
impressive  facts  which  tend  to  illustrate  the  almost  miraculous 
extent  to  which  the  language  of  nations  may  bo  preserved 
pure  and  inviolate,  by  the  advantages  of  a  circumscribed  and 
isolated  situation.  The  Gaelic  tongue,  which  constituted  the 
dialect  of  the  ancient  Gauls  at  the  earliest  period  of  their  ex- 
istence, is  still  spoken  in  the  Highlands  of  Scotlajid  in  its  un:)- 
dulterated  form,  whilst  in  France, and  in  other  countries  where 
it  formerly  sustained  the  blessing  of  social  intercourse,  it 
has  been  so  largely  corrupted  by  a  mixture  with  the  lan- 
guages of  other  nations,  as  to  have  lost  its  identity.  To  uhat 
circumstance  arc  we  to  ascribe  this  singular  phenomenon  ? 
We  are  to  attribute  it  exclusively  to  the  slender  share  of  in- 
tercourse with  the  rest  of  the  human  race,  which  has  been 
enjoyed  by  this  sturdy  and  simple-hearted  people.  There 
are  two  Cantons  of  Switzerland,  in  the  one  of  which  yet  pre- 
vails the  Romaiinsch,  a  dialect  which  was  spoken  in  the 
Roman  Empire  during  the  ruder  periods  of  its  existence; 
and  in  the  other  of  which,  is  still  retained  in  its  primitive 
mould,  the  Ladin,  a  dialect  which  was  used  by  the  Roman 
people  at  a  more  advanced  stage  of  their  cultivation  and 
glory.  Yes,  these  languages  respectively  exist  in  Ihe  de- 
partments wiiich  have  just  been  referred  to,  without  having 
received  any  perceptible  lingc  or  colouring  -from  the  lan- 
guages of  surrounding  countries,  whilst,  if  they  ever  had  an 


rxi.stciK-C  ill  the  oUier  province.^  oi  S\vil/crlancl,  llicy  have 
laded  and  rallcii  away,  have  been  buried  under  the  ciunbions 
mass  of  forcifi;!!  mixtures.  What  is  the  cause  of  this  singuhir 
circumstance  ?  It  has  resulted  from  the  fact  that  these  divi- 
sions of  the  country  arc  separated  from  the  other  provinces 
by  lofty  mountains,  frowning  glaciers,  and  fathomless  lakes. 
'Pile  Christian  Religion,  planted  on  tlie  coast  of  .^lulabar  at 
ail  early  period,  has  been  preserved  in  the  original  purity  of 
its  substance  and  ceremonials,  whilst  centuries  liavc  Ijccn 
passing  away,  and  when  surrounding  nations  have,  at  the 
the  same  time,  been  steeped  in  the  monstrous  and  ridiculous 
fooleries  which  are  incorporated  with  the  Pagan  and  JMahoni- 
etan  systems  of  JMythoIogy.  This  interesting  fact  in  the 
history  of  the  Christian  Religion  is  explained,  too,  by  the 
secluded  situation  of  this  peculiarly  fated  people. 

May  you  not,  then,  amid  the  silent  shades  of  this  seques- 
tered spot,  sow  the  seeds  of  Literature  in  peace,  and  reap  a 
\Mrc  and  plentiful  harvest  from  your  labors  ?  You  may  here 
open  a  fountain  which  will  be  sheltered  from  every  species 
of  profanation  by  the  privac)''  and  by  the  sacred  nature  of 
the  place.  You  may,  Irom  this  consecrated  ground,  send 
forth  a  healthful  stream  of  knowledge,  wliich  will  revive  the 
languishing  prospects  of  letters  in  every  portion  of  this  wide 
spread  community.  In  the  quietude  of  tliis  haven  of  repose, 
your  labors  for  the  improvement  of  your  species  and  your 
country,  will  bear  a  strong  and  impressive  resemblance  to 
those  sacred  rites  which  were  consummated  by  the  Priests  of 
antiquity,  amid  the  silence  of  sequestered  groves. 

But,  Gentlemen,  your  labors,  ought  not  to  be  suspended 
even  at  the  attainment  of  this  important  point.  The  closing 
testimonial  which  you  received  from  the  authorities  of  this 
Institution,  like  the  wizzard  ring  which  was  presented  to  a 
juvenile  friend  by  nn  oriental  sage,  shuuld  sjjur  you  on  to 
vigorous  and  uiu-ivallcd  exertions  in  behalf  of  the  prosperity 
o'i  yonv  Alma  M(tlcr.      It  is  expected    uf  i'vc:r\-  conlirmeJ 


-22  ADI>RES3. 

votary  of  Ileligion,  and  of  every  warm  p;vrlizan  in  Politics, 
to  embark  with  ardent  zeal  in  the  cause  of  the  denominations 
and  parties  to  vvhicli  they  are  respectively  attached :  to 
stretch  out  their  arms  and  to  elevate  the  note  of  persuasion 
to  its  most  exalted  pitch,  for  the  purpose  of  attracting  prose- 
lytes to  their  favorite  doctrines.  Why  may  we  not,  with 
equal  confidence,  expect  those  who  have  derived  the  bone 
and  muscle  of  tlieir  intellectual  power,  together  with  the 
ornamental  finisli  wliich  renders  that  power  engaging  to  the 
world,  from  the  salutary  training  of  this  University,  to  arise 
from  their  criminal  repose  and  plead  its  cause  before  the  bar 
of  the  country,  with  that  fervid  enthusiasm  with  which  the 
pilgrim  pleads  for  admittance  into  the  Holy  City  of  his  con- 
templated devotions?  Does  it  not  become  the  enlightened 
Graduates  of  this  Institution,  to  rekindle  the  vestiges  of 
youthful  afliection  which  yet  linger  in  their  bosoms,  by 
*'  praying  for  the  peace  of  Jerusalem,'*  and  by  constantly 
expressing,  in  the  daily  actions  of  their  lives,  that  sacred 
f^entiment  of  inspired  devotion.  '*  Peace  be  within  thy  walls, 
and  prosperity  within  thy  })alaces ;  for  my  brethren  and 
companions'  sake,  I  vvill  now  say,  peace  be  within  tliee?" 

You  should  repair  to  the  held  of  service,  invested  with  an 
Airmour  prepared  and  strengthened  by  the  sacredness  of  the 
cause  in  wlileh  you  will  be  engaged,  and  with  bosoms  ani- 
mated by  the  dauntless  intrepidity  of  a  Spartan  band,  and 
by  that  enthusiastic  ardor  whieh  is  kindled  in  the  heart  of 
the  soldier  of  the  Cross,  when  he  sees  liberty  and  eternal 
salvation  inscribed  in  flaming  characters  upon  the  banner 
vvhich  waves  over  his  head.  You  should  swear,  by  the  af- 
fecting charter  wiilch  you  received  from  your  honored  fathers 
iu  ]^iterature.  under  the  sacred  covert  of  these  shades,  never 
to  ground  your  arms,  until  you  have  made  war,  efiective 
ivar,  upon  the  grim  and  biighting  prejudices  which  prevail 
-50  cxteriSively  in  re'-ition  to  this  Institution ;  until  you  shall 
b^vc  con.sigij'^d  to  hu  efcrn?!  g;-,«vp  that  shameful  effusion  of 


fefivv  which  has  proclaimed  it  to  be  a  hot  bed  of  aristociacy 
and  tiie  exclusive  and  ciio^en  resort  vi  the  sons  of  affluence- 

If  this  char2;e  had  not  derived  some  pretension  to  the  char- 
acter of  sincerity,  from  the  apparent  integrity  of  the  sources 
from  which  it  has  occasionally  emanated,  the  calm  and  piii- 
losophical  speculator  on  passing  events  might  be  induced,  by 
its  utter  destitution  of  the  semblance  of  truth,  to  consider  it 
one  of  those  hasty  and  transient  eflusion.s  v/hich  are  sometimes 
elicited  by  attractive  displays  of  that  power  and  excel- 
lence in  the  persons  of  others,  which  the  envious  beholder 
can  never  hope  to  reach.  For  if  any  circumstance  connected 
with  the  history  of  this  Institution  be  inconteatibly  true, 
it  is  that  the  wealthy  have  not  sufficiently  appreciated  the 
precious  means  of  instruction  which  have  been  provided  at 
this  place  for  the  benefit  of  their  sons,  and  that  many  of  the 
brightest  ornaments  which  this  Seminary  has  year  after  year 
delivered  to  its  country,  have  been  those  who  were  compelled 
tx)  exert  every  energy  which  they  possessed,  and  to  adopt 
every  honorable  expedient  which  might  enable  them  to  com- 
plete their  Collegiate  course.  Shame,  then — an  eternal  and 
undying  shame,  to  the  charge,  that  this  kind  and  beneficent 
refuge  of  all  ranks  and  conditions  in  life,  is  the  fostei-ing  nur- 
sery of  aristocracy  and  wealtli ! 

You  should  strenuously  endeavor,  both  in  the  public  and 
private  walkrf  of  life,  to  impress  upon  the  fathers  of  the  land, 
the  blissful  and  glorious  prospects  that  may  be  revealed  to 
the  vision  of  their  declining  years,  if  they  should  send  their 
children  to  be  educated  at  this  Institution,  It  should  be 
your  unceasing  aim  to  inflict  a  fatal  blow  upon  that  current 
conviction,  so  deadly  to  the  interests  of  education  in  this 
State,  and  which  induces  the  father  to  withhold  from  the 
view  of  his  children  the  advantages  of  a  liberal  education,  on 
the  principle  that  scholarship  is  an  empty  and  insipid  luxury — 
an  useless  and  unpractical  acquisition — a.  mere  source  of 
amusement,  to  withhold  from  scenes  of  mischief  the  children 


of  those  who  are  gi fled  with  unusual  wealtli  and  leisiire — 
that  a  Collegiate  education  is  totally  unnecessary  to  qualify 
a  person  for  the  practical  duties  of  life,  and  that  a  father  ha-< 
faithfully  acquitted  himself  of  his  responsibilities  to  his 
children,  when  he  has  provided  for  them  lands  and  beeves 
and  blushing  fields  of  grain.  In  a  few  words,  you  should 
prosecute  a  war  of  exterminating  severity  against  that  de- 
ceitful phantom,  which  cheats  so  many  parents  out  of  the 
best  comforts  of  their  earthly  career,  by  inspiring  the  belief 
that  Dilworth  and  Murray  are  the  only  accepted  apostles  of 
learning,  and  that  the  English  Reader  and  Webster's  Spel- 
ling Book  are  the  only  legitimate  depositaries  of  the  wisdom 
of  the  world — that  his  son  is  sufficiently  trained  for  the  circle 
of  human  duties,  when  lie  can  write  a  legible  copy  hand,  hav- 
ing his  paper  previously  ruled  for  him — when  he  can  spell 
the  words  baker  and  crucifix,  with  such  a  precise  degree  of 
accuracy  as  neither  to  add  nor  omit  a  syllable — when  he  can 
cypher  with  sufficient  readiness  to  cast  up  all  the  scores  on 
a  tally  of  moderate  length,  and  when  he  can  read  over  a  para- 
graph of  prose,  in  such  winning  strains  of  melody,  as  to  leave 
the  hearer  in  doubt  about  which  exercise  he  is  engaged  in, 
that  of  singing  or  reading,  without  being,  at  the  same  time, 
particularly  anxious  for  the  continuation  of  either  entertain- 
ment. 

There  are  a  few  counties  in  this  State  of  high  respectability, 
which  are  strongly  suspected  of  never  having  yet  sent  a  stu- 
dent to  this  University.  Why  this  mournful  apathy  in  re- 
gard to  an  object,  which  may  involve  the  issues  of  life  or 
of  death,  to  the  best  earthly  interests  of  individual  man  ? 
This  affecting  circumstance  has  been  no  doubt  principall}' 
occasioned  by  that  blighting  impression,  which  prevails  to 
such  an  alarming  extent  among  the  people,  that  the  training 
of  a  severe  education  is  not  necessary  to  impart  to  a  youth, 
that  shrewdness  and  tact  in  driving  a  bargain,  that  measure 
of  thrift  and  economy   in   managing  the   common  affairs  of 


ADDRES?.  iJ5 

Uie  woild,  and  thosp  principles  of  ^nl^^llily  in  conducting 
the  expenditures  of  life,  which  will  enable  one  in  familiar 
parlance  to  get  along  well,  to  make  a  fortune,  and  ultimately 
to  act  a  respectable  and  influential  part  upon  the  stage  of  hu- 
man action.  This  mistake  has  resulted,  in  a  considerable 
degree,  from  the  misconception  of  examples.  A,  few  men  in 
the  course  of  a  century,  but  slenderly  im.proved  by  educa- 
tion, owing  to  the  efficacy  of  natural  powers  of  unrivalled 
strength  combined  with  immense  exertion,  have  been  eleva- 
ted to  the  highest  Judicial,  Executive  and  Legislative  seats 
in  the  country — have  been  raised  to  eminence  in  the  sphere 
of  Medical  Science,  and  in  performing  the  important  func- 
tions of  the  Pulpit  and  the  Bar,  The  parsimony  of  the  hu- 
man heart,  a  principle  already  too  strong  and  operative  in 
its  nature,  is  powerfully  reinforced  by  the  striking  instances 
which  have  just  been  referred  to,  and  a  vast  number  of  pa- 
I'ents  are  delighted  at  thus  finding  a  veil  for  avarice,  in 
witholding  from  their  children  the  advantages  of  instruction, 
whilst  others  are  thus  implicitly  and  fondly  convinced,  that 
their  sons  "can  go  and  do  likewise." 

If  you  can  once  succeed  in  the  patriotic  labor  of  demon- 
strating to  the  misguided  parents  of  the  country,  that  the  in- 
stances in  which  untutored  genius  has  ascended  to  the  lofti- 
est heights  of  usefulness  and  renown,  are  the  beacon  lights 
which  have  been  scattered  along  the  shore  of  human  being, 
by  the  kindness  of  Heaven,  to  rescue  the  indigent  and  ob- 
scure from  the  waves  of  depression,  instead  of  being  design- 
ed to  act  as  lures  to  youthful  indolence  or  parental  parsimo- 
ny ;  if  you  can  firmly  fasten  upon  their  minds  the  salutary 
conviction  that  they  are  under  obligations  to  Heaven,  to  their 
country,  to  their  children,  to  themselves,  and  to  posterity, 
to  sow  the  seeds  of  education  with  a  liberal  hand,  upon  the 
3'outhful  intellect,  instead  of  taxing  the  air,  the  earth,  and 
the  seas,  to  provide  them  with  property ;  and  if  you  can  dis- 
tinctly reveal  to  the  perception  of  all  parents,  the  positive 


26  ADDRESS, 

power  and  expansion  which  are  usually  imparted  to  the  mind 
of  man  by  a  judicious  system  of  education,  the  practical  use- 
fulness it  is  almost  certain  to  engraft  upon  the  person  of 
human  being,  in  performing  the  various  duties  of  life,  the 
solid  respectability  with  which  it  clothes  him  as  a  member  cf 
society,  and  the  prospects  of  high  promotion  which  it  opens 
upon  his  view,  3'ou  will  have  succeeded  in  razing  to  the  earth 
the  most  formidable  battlements  of  ignorance,  which  have 
ever  yet  frowned  upon  the  interests  of  education  in  the  State 
of  North-Carolina. 

And  whilst  you  are  anxiously  revolving  the  various  ob- 
jects which  claim  a  portion  of  your  affection  and  esteem, 
does  not  this  Institution  addrcs?  a  conclusive  appeal  to  3'Our 
fond  and  partial  consideration  ?  It  has  provided  the  chairs 
of  Executive  Magistracy,  the  Judicial  seats  and  Legislative 
Halls,  of  this  State,  with  many  of  their  most  conspicuous 
and  endearing  ornaments.  Many  of  the  Alumni  of  this  In- 
stitution now  grace  the  benches  of  judgment,  the  presiding 
chairs,  and  the  chairs  of  Legislation  in  other  States  of  the 
Confederacy.  You  find  them  in  the  chairs  of  Medical  and  of 
Academic  authority,  in  parts  of  the  Union,  widely  separated 
from  each  other,  both  by  the  pursuits  of  interest,  and  the  in- 
tervention of  space ;  and  it  has  been  remarked  to  the  last- 
ing honor  of  this  Institution,  that  among  those  youths  of  the 
country  who  resort  to  the  Medical  Colleges  of  the  North  for 
instruction,  but  few  are  found  vvho  arc  so  amply  prepared 
for  the  investigation  of  professional  science,  as  those  who 
have  been  educated  within  these  hallowed  walls.  You  may 
repair  to  the  Senate  Hall  of  a  Nation's  deliberations, and  you 
will  find  in  its  presiding  Officer,  a  Son  of  this  University. — 
You  may  then  pass  an  to  the  popular  department  of  Federal 
Legislation,  and  on  turning  your  vision  in  the  direction  of 
the  Speaker's  Charr,  you  will  observe  the  delicate  and 
important  functions  of  that  commanding  station,  performed 
by  a  graduate  of  this  University.     On  glancing  over  the  Con- 


grcssioual  rolls  of  many  of  the  States,  you  will  recognize  the 
names  of  persons  who  slaked  their  youthful  thirst  for  knowl- 
edge, at  this  ever  flowing  and  ever  refreshing  fountain  of  in- 
telligence. "\  ou  have  seen  one  of  the  noblest  sons  of  this 
Institution  sink  like  a  starry  sphere  beneath  the  horizon, 
while  worshipping  the  JNIuse  of  History,  with  the  impassion- 
ed glow  of  a  Pilgrim's  devotion.  You  hive  beheld  another 
son  of  this  University,  by  the  multitude  and  rapid  succession 
of  his  triumphs  upon  the  surface  of  the  seas,  communicating 
dismay  and  dism.al  apprehensions  of  ruin  to  the  heart  of 
Britain's  proud  and  celebrated  domain,  and  you  behold 
two  of  the  sons  of  tliis  Institution,  arrayed  in  the  most  hon- 
ored robes  of  authority,  which  the  Church  in  this  country 
can  confer. 

A  scene  of  the  most  affecting  interest  is  said  to  have  once 
occurred  in  the  Capitol  of  the  nation,  which  strongly  illus- 
trates the  efiicacy  of  that  gystem  of  instruction  and  discipline 
which  is  practiced  here — a  scene  whicii  was,  on  a  former  oc- 
casion, delineated  by  the  sainted  patriot  who  once  presided 
over  the  destinies  of  this  University,  with  all  that  fervor  of 
feeling  and  energy  of  language  which  so  remarkably  charac- 
terized him.  Being  once  on  a  visit  to  the  National  Seat  of 
Government,  and  quickly  surrounded  by  many  of  his  former 
pupils,  whose  attention  had  been  forcibly  engaged  by  the  ap- 
pearance of  his  venerable  form,  he  remarked,  whilst  his  heart 
was  overflowing  with  ecstatic  sensibilit}'',  and  his  eyes  stream- 
ing with  the  most  touching  evidences  of  human  emotion,  that 
he  felt  as  if  he  had  been  then  standing  amid  the  familiar 
scenes  of  Chapel-Hill.  If  you  should  require  some  proof  of 
the  claims  of  this  place  to  your  reverential  homage  and  af- 
fectionate regard,  which  would  be  more  touching  in  its  na- 
ture, you  must  seek  it.  Gentlemen,  from  some  person  more 
minutely  versed  in  the  incidents  of  past  time,  than  he  who 
is  now  honored  by  your  presence. 

And  permit  mc.  whilst  invoking  your  peculiar  care  and 


2S  ADDRESS. 

consideration  in  l)cliair  of  other  objects  wliich  arc  of  lasting, 
importance  to  the  best  interests  of  social  man,  to  solicit  a 
portion  of  your  sincerest  sympathies  for  the  two  Literary 
Societies  Avhich  arc  connected  with  our  University.  Al- 
most coeval  with  the  birth  of  the  Institution  itself,  and  es- 
tablished and  perpetuated  by  the  generous  ardour  of  youth, 
for  the  noblest  purposes  which  may  occupy  the  mind  or 
animate  the  bosom  of  man,  the  renovating  influence  of 
these  interesting  Associations,  like  refreshing  dew,  is  felt 
and  perceived  in  the  vivid  hues  which  it  constantly  imparts 
to  the  moral  and  intellectual  interests  of  the  State.  Wc  re- 
cognize the  benefits  which  flow  from  their  existence,  in  the 
creation  of  ties  of  friendship,  which  are  only  dissolved  by 
the  rapacious  and  unsparing  tyrant  of  the  grave;  in  those 
sentiments  of  punctilious  honor  and  of  delicate  morality, 
which  are  instinctively  startled  by  the  slightest  breeze  of 
t^uspicion,  and  which  cause  the  bosom  of  their  possessor  to 
glow  like  a  furnace  at  the  slightest  breach  of  the  code  of 
moral  propriety  ;  in  a  feeling  of  tender  compassion  and  be- 
nevolence to  the  whole  human  race,  which  is  revolted  by  the 
faintest  approach  to  rudeness  or  to  cruelty;  in  a  feeling  of 
enthusiastic  devotion  to  the  interests  and  institutions  of  the 
country,  which  brands  with  deep  and  explicit  condemnation 
every  stab  which  may  be  offered  to  the  prosperity  or  glory 
of  the  nation ;  and  in  tlie  eloquence  and  manly  energy  of 
style,  w^hich  often  distinguish  both  the  oral  and  written  pro- 
ductions of  those  who  have  participated  in  the  advantages 
here  enjoyed. 

These  Societies,  through  every  period  in  the  history  of  the 
Institution,  have  nerved  the  arm  of  Collegiate  authority,  by  a 
niceadaptationof  their  respective  systems  of  government  to  the 
preservation  of  decorum,  regularity  and  order.  They  have  al- 
most invariably  punished  every  flagrant  breach  of  the  principles 
i  of  honor  or  morality,  by  a  prompt  expulsion  of  the  ofl'ender 
from  the  circle  of  their  privileges.     They  have  generally 


'\Di)!;i;s^<.  "^f) 

visited  with  censure  tli()SLMvhoinii:;lit  ollci'.iny  palpable  blow  to 
the  oovciainient  of  tlie  Institution.  They  have  collected  l^i- 
brnries,  whicli,  tVom  the  splendid  appearance,  solid  value  and 
extended  luimbcr  of  the  volumes  whicli  they  contain,  not 
only  constitute  a  precious  and  impressive  ornament  to  the 
character  of  North-Carolina,  but  which  would  be  calculated 
to  adorn  any  Literary  Chamber  withiu  the  bounds  of  the 
Union.  And  let  it  be  recorded  to  their  immortal  praise,  that 
they  have  aided  some  of  the  most  promising  sons  of  this 
State  in  the  saci'ed  w'ork  of  procuring  a  finished  education. 
Yes,  if  these  Societies  were  suddcnl}'  obliterated  from  the 
system  of  our  University,  the  mournful  event  would  prove 
as  disastrous  to  its  future  hopes  and  prospects,  as  would  the 
.severance  of  a  left  arm  or  the  extinction  of  a  left  eye  to  the 
functions  of  the  human  frame.  It  might  jiossibly  progress 
in  its  operations  for  the  accomplishment  of  good  to  the  j)iib- 
lic,  without  the  additional  strength  which  is  now  derived  from 
their  co-operation,  but  it  would  be  in  a  comparativclv  dull 
and  spiritless  manner. 

Does  it  not,  then,  become  you — is  it  not  a  duty  imperative 
upon  you,  to  cheer,  by  your  annual  presence  hei'c,  those  who 
represent  yourselves  and  your  cvivly  associates  in  the  halls  of 
these  Societies?  Where  can  you  find  a  nobler  and  more  de- 
lectable task,  than  that  of  illuminating^  the  younger  members 
of  these  bodies,  by  the  counsels  of  your  more  matured  and 
enlarged  experience  ?  You  might  also  materially  enhance 
the  efficacy  and  strength  of  their  laudable  efforts  to  increase 
the  intellectual  resources  of  the  State,  by  occasional  contri- 
butions of  rare  minerals  and  other  natu.ral  curiosities,  by^  de- 
positing in  their  halls  remarkable  works  of  art,  and  precious 
productions  in  literature.  These  evidences  of  vour  regard 
would  invigorate  and  sustain  them  in  all  their  noble  and 
spirited  purposes,  by  impressing  upon  their  minds  the  en- 
couraging conviction,  that  though  they  are  hidden  from  the 
gaze  of  the  world  in  their  silent  laboi.'^  for  the  good  of  their 


so  ADDREyy. 

country,  instead  of  having  faded  from  tlic  remembrance  of 
their  elder  brethren,  they  still  enjoy  in  their  ailectionate 
recollection  a  fond  and  welcome  abode. 

Gentlemen  of  the  Senior  Class  : 

You  arc  now  about  to  emerge  from  the  quiet  shades  in 
\vliich  you  have  enjoyed  many  of  the  most  blissful  moments 
of  your  earthly  career,  and  to  enter  upon  the  duties  and  res- 
ponsibilities of  a  chequered  and  untried  scene;  and  it  is  a 
matter  of  infinite  moment  to  your  future  happiness  in  life, 
tliat  your  first  decisions  of  conduct  should  be  correct,  for  if 
you  should  unfortunately  err  at  the  start  in  choosing 
your  principles  of  action,  or  in  your  view  of  those  means 
vvhich  are  essential  to  success,  the  whole  current  of  your  ex- 
istence will  be  apt  to  flow  in  a  rugged  channel.  There  is  no 
one  error  which  )^ou  should  more  cautiously  shun  than  that 
prevailing  taste  for  splendour  in  Literary  performances,  with 
Vvdiich  the  mind  of  man  is  so  apt  to  become  imbued  in 
early  life. 

A  French  writer  of  eminence  has  closed  a  long  enu- 
meration of  Sir  Isaac  Newton's  virtues  and  attainments,  by 
observing  "that  he  was  not  distinguished  from  other  men  ot 
his  time  by  any  singularity,  either  natural  or  affected." 
That  iikistrious  apostle  of  science  was  certainly  never  pos- 
sessed with  that  baneful  passion  for  display  and  tawdriness 
in  the  creations  of  his  mind,  which  mark  the  spirit  of  the 
present  age  to  such  an  alarming  extent.  He  cultivated  sim- 
plicity, solidity  and  strength  in  all  his  beneficent  labors,  and 
in  this  respect  he  will  constitute  a  model  upon  which  your 
judgments  may  securely  repose,  in  preparing  j^ourselves  for 
the  stern  duties  and  realities  of  life. 

The  fondness  for  show  is  particularly  disastrous  in  the  in- 
fluence which  it  exerts  on  the  business  pursuits  of  life.  Most 
beginners  in  the  world  set  out  v/ith  the  delusive  belief,  that 
f^lcgant  language  is  the  chief  instrument  of  success  in  ever\- 


%L 


ADDRESS.  31 

human  ontorprizc.  They  seem  to  liavc  entirely  overlooked 
the  important  fact,  that  sound  ideas  arc  the  sinews  of  strength 
in  every  intellectual  production,  and  that  early  hahits  of 
lahor  and  industry  arc  the  grand  essentials  to  an  accurate  and 
punctual  performance  of  the  duties  and  huslness  which  usually 
devolve  upon  individual  man.  They  consequently  worship 
the  pages  of  fiction  and  of  poesy  with  a  feeling  of  impassioned 
devotion,  and  garner  up,  with  solicitous  care,  all  tlic  fine 
figures  and  brilliant  passages  which  are  scattered  over  the 
pages  of  ihe  most  florid  writer.  And  it  is  not  until  the 
journey  of  life  is  far  advanced,  that  the  misguided  student 
is  brought  to  the  mournful  discover}^,  that  a  pompous  and 
swelling  st3'le,  either  in  vs'riting  or  speaking,  is  utterly  use- 
less in  performing  any  grave  or  important  duty,  without  the 
more  solid  accompaniment  of  sound  views,  and  the  benefit 
which  may  be  derived  from  a  previous  discipline  of  the  facul- 
ties, lie  then  perceives  with  unavailing  sadness  of  heart, 
that  these  empty  and  deceitful  accomplishments  are  similar 
to  those  flowery  vales  and  fragrant  bowers,  through  whicli 
we  pass  without  bringing  any  thing  away,  except  a  sense  of 
the  sweet  odours  which  were  profusely  circulating  around  us. 
How  prevalent  is  the  im.prcssion  among  the  Students  of 
our  Universities,  that  the  Father  of  his  Country  was  not  en- 
dowed with  a  fertile  genius,  because  he  left  no  fanciful 
speeches,  nor  highly  colored  orations,  as  a  legacy  to  his 
countrymen.  They  forget  that  the  actions  of  a  rational  be- 
ing in  a  responsible  and  difficult  sphere  of  conduct,  attest 
the  strength  of  his  intellect  much  more  effectually  than 
cither  his  writings  or  speeches.  They  forget  that  speeches 
are  only  intended  to  enlighten  the  judgment  of  others,  in  re- 
gard to  the  proper  plans  of  action  which  ought  to  be  pursu- 
ed in  the  various  undertakings  of  men,  and  to  point  out  the 
means  necessary  to  carry  those  plans  into  effect.  They  ap- 
pear to  have  forgotten,  too,  that  President  Washington  never 
erred  in  forming  his  plans  of  action,  nor  in  the  choice  of  the 


S2  ADDUERS. 

instruments  wlilch  were  requisite  to  their  projier  execution) 
that  he  Avas  the  Pharos  by  which  the  American  Congress 
was  guided  in  its  portentous  deliberations  and  decisions, 
through  the  whole  space  of  time  which  was  occupied  by 
the  Revolution;  that  when  he  was  a  member  of  the  Conven- 
tion which  met  in  17SS,  to  frame  a  Constitution  for  tliis 
Country,  he  frequently  put  to  flight  a  host  of  prolix  speakers, 
and  destroyed  tlie  effect  of  a  score  of  long  speeches,  by  a 
few  pertinent  and  well  timed  remarks,  which  were  sure  to 
embrace  the  strong  point  of  the  subject  under  discussion. 
They  seem  not  to  recollect  that  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  though 
he  was  the  animating  soul  of  all  the  Revolutions  which  con- 
vulsed the  Nations  of  Europe  during  his  eventful  era,  never 
distinguished  himself,  either  by  the  protracted  length  of  his 
speeches,  or  by  the  splendour  of  his  style.  They  appear 
also  to  have  lost  sight  of  the  fact,  that  the  celebrated  Doctor 
Franklin,  notwithstanding  he  raised  the  character  of  his 
country  to  such  an  exalted  height,  by  his  researches  and  dis- 
coveries in  Science,  and  engaged  the  admiration  and  affec- 
tions of  the  whole  French  Nation,  while  Minister  at  the  el- 
egant and  polished  Court  of  France,  acquired  not  his  reputa- 
tion by  flights  of  oratory,  nor  by  the  brighter  graces  of  compo- 
sition. No,  these  immortal  geniuses  were  enabled  to  render 
such  signal  services  to  their  species  and  their  country,  by 
the  vigor  of  their  judgments,  by  their  good  sense  and  prac- 
tical habits  of  business,  qualities  for  which  they  were  much 
indebted  to  severe  mental  discipline.  They  acted  upon  the 
sound  conclusion,  that  a  florid  style  in  speaking  and  writing 

•  "  like   expanded    gold. 

Exchanges  solid  strength  fur  feeble  sjilendour." 

He  is  indeed  a  fortunate  student  of  the  Law,  who  does  not 
imbibe  the  impression  at  an  early  period  of  his  career,  that 
nothing  more  is  essential  to  his  success  at  the  Bar  than  elo- 
quent and  touching  appeals  addressed  to  the  passions  of  the 
Jury  ;  for  the  votary  of  that  honorable  profession  seems  very 


ADDRESS'.  33 

fi-orjupiilly  to  1)0  i>j;norant  of  llio  fart,  llmi  tlioi-e  is  an  im- 
mense inass  of  business  to  1)C  performed  at.  tiie  bar,  wliicb 
requires  a  previous  seasoning  to  general  labor,  especially  a 
previous  training  for  the  drudgeries  of  tbc  I^aw  itself.  He 
seems  not  to  know  that  a  vast  number  of  cases  are  con- 
stantly arising,  which  involve  the  most  complex  principles, 
and  which  require  a  laI)orious  and  painful  iuA-estigation  of 
Legal  Science,  in  order  to  their  correct  and  judicious  man- 
agement. He  is  unconscious,  before  he  has  been  intensely 
mortified  by  palpable  failures  in  the  practice  of  his  profession, 
that  speaking  constitutes  but  a  small  portion  of  the  labor  to 
be  undergone  in  the  Courts  of  Justice,  and  tliat  a  La\vyer 
would  be  laughed  to  scorn  for  attempting  a  long  and  florid 
harangue  in  those  instances  in  which  the  most  intricate 
questions  are  to  be  discussed  and  explained. 

To  this  impression,  that  flower  and  fiincy  constitute  the 
sole  excellence  in  the  business  of  speaking,  may  be  safely 
ascribed  many  of  those  frothy  productions  that  are  fre- 
quently thrown  off  before  our  political  meetings  and  annual 
celebrations,  which  are  admired  by  all  and  comprehended 
by  none.  And  though  you  should  by  no  means  neglect  the 
legitimate  ornaments  of  style,  you  ought  carefully  to  guard 
against  a  surrender  of  your  whole  heart  to  these  alluring  ac- 
complishments. You  should  regard  them  only  as  secondarv 
considerations,  when  compared  with  acuteness  and  strength  of 
judgment — with  sound  learning  and  practical  encrgv  of  char- 
acter, in  performing  the  business  of  life.  Bacon  discoursed 
like  an  Angel,  yet  from  the  want  of  prudence,  experience 
and  practiced  wisdom,  in  managing  what  are  usually  denom- 
inated common  affairs,  he  acted  with  the  folly  and  imbecili- 
ty of  childhood.  The  second  Charles  of  England  was 
characterised  as  a  person 

AVho  never  said  a  foolisli  thing 
And  never  did  a  wise  one, 

and  Sheridan,  one  of  the  fairest  boasts  of  Britain's  eloquence, 
from  a  similar  defect   of  character,  slided    into   embarrass- 


34  ADniJF.SS. 

meiits  and  dlfricullics,  whieii  often  exposed  liini  to  the  coi;=- 
tempt  of  the  world,  and  covered  his  old  age  witii  the  sable 
vesture  of  sorrow.  You  should  guard  with  jealous  caution, 
against  this  perilous  quicksand,  by  training  yourselves  ia 
common  business,  as  well  as  in  the  knowledge  of  books,  by 
choosing  for  your  guide,  those  models  which  may  be 
recommended  to  your  consideration,  by  a  union  of  practical 
energy  with  eloquence  and  erudition.  You  should  meet 
with  fearless  resolution^  all  the  impediments  which  may  be- 
set and  pei^lex  your  course.  You  should  take  pleasure  in 
encountering  the  manual  drudgeries,  as  well  as  the  intel- 
lectual exertions  v/hich  may  be  incident  to  the  vocation  yon 
may  select  in  life.  You  should  be  careful,  above  all  tilings, 
to  perform  every  duty  in  its  proper  time  and  place,  and  uni- 
versally act  upon  the  maxim,  '•'  labor  vincet  oiiDiia,''''  taking 
for  your  motto  the  maxim  of  an  illustrious  ornament  of 
Britain,  "that  whatsoever  man  has  once  accomplished,  man 
may  accomplish  again." 

Whilst  I  am  soliciting  a  portion  of  your  attention  for  other 
matters  of  infinite  moment  to  your  future  comfort  and  honor, 
permit  me  to  warn  you  witli  the  earnest  solicitude  of  a  true 
friend,  against  the  most  distant  approaches  of  one  fatal  pas- 
sion which  now  bestrides  every  cherished  pursuit  of  this 
country,  with  a  grasp  as  relentless  as  that  of  the  tyrant 
of  the  grave,  and  with  a  pawer  of  injury  as  deadly  as 
the  exhalations  of  the  Upas.  I  refer  to  that  universal  appe- 
tite for  political  promotion,  which  is  now  seizing  within  its 
mortal  clutches,  every  age,  rank  and  condition  of  life. — 
Against  the  entrance  of  this  insidious  and  perilous  propensi- 
ty, you  should  guard  every  passage  to  the  heart,  with  the 
same  distrustful  vigilance  which  you  would  exert,  in  repel- 
ling a  vij^er  from  your  bosoms  ;  for  vain  will  be  the  attempt 
to  reach  a  permanent  professional  renown,  whilst  the  springs 
of  action  are  influenced  by  this  fell  mania.  Every  such  at- 
tempt will  prove  as  vain  as  onefibrt  torise  above  the  stars  witli 
the  aid  of  a  feeble  wing  ;  for  there  is  no  maxim  of  inspired 


>J» 


Al)i)UK5S.  35. 

Tvisdom,  thai  has  ever  ycL  cuU'rcd  the  world,  iiioic  oh:>linat,r.- 
ly  true,  tlian  tliaL  which  dcchircs, ''tlKa  where  tlie  treasure  is, 
Ihcre  will  the  heart  he."  If  then,  the  young  mind  is  once 
infected  with  the  hancful  delusion,  that  the  sprini:^  of  man's 
best  comforts  mm\  hopes  arises  witkii;  the  tumultuous  arena 
of  political  contention,  all  the  sober  pursuits  of  life  will  at 
once  a-?"sumc  a  sable  and  repulsive  hue  ;  the  sinews  of  exer- 
tion will  be  relaxed  or  severed,  and  the  usual  instruments 
of  success,  and  the  sanctioned  sources  of  instruction  will  bo 
contemptuously  thrown  aside.  The  more  especially  does 
this  burning  passion  for  politics  weaken  the  energy,  and  chill 
the  professional  ardor  of  the  y©ung  votary  of  the  Law,  for 
when  he  once  contracts  a  thirst  for  that  boisterous  but  tran- 
sient notoriety  which  frequently  follows  the  professed  poli- 
tician, he  becomes  wearied  with  the  calm  researches  ot 
Science,  proscribes  the  pages  of  Coke  and  of  l^lackstone.  and 
gives  his  days  and  nights  to  the  Register  of  Debates,  pants 
"to  read  his  history  in  a  Nation's  eye,"  resigns  his  heart  to 
the  people,  and  solicits  some  political  post  at  their  disposal. 
And  should  his  wishes  be  crowned  W'ith  success,  what  tlieu^ 
AV'hy,  his  next  aspiration  is,  to  acquire  extended  celebrity, 
by  -some  striking  display  of  eloquence  in  the  councils  of  his 
Country.  If  his  ambition  is  gratified  in  this  aspiration  also, 
wc  may  then  be  prepared  to  bid  a  long,  and  perhaps  an  eter- 
nal farcw^ell,  to  every  rational  prospect  of  professional  emi- 
nence and  utility.  For  that  youthful  student  must  be  com- 
posed of  stern  and  inflexible  materials,  who  is  willing  to  re- 
,Uirn  again  to  the  dusty  labors  of  the  closet,  and  to  gather  re- 
nown at  tlie  slow  pace  of  the  bar,  after  he  has  been  once 
carressed  and  applauded  b}'  the  most  distinguished  men  of 
iJie  nation,  after  he  bas  been  prodigally  flattered  by  the  peo- 
ple of  a  disti"ict,  and  enjoyed  a  succession  of  brilliant  notices 
in  the  most  popular  journals  of  the  day,  for  perhaps  one  brief 
cflort  which  cost  but  a  few  moments  ol  deliberation,  and  the, 
easv  labor  of  gai'nishiim'  anc\'."  3.  [c\v  ideas  extracted  from  the 


33  ADDUE8S. 

political  text  books  oHiis  party.  For  he  ([uickly  iiistilutcM 
a  comparison  between  political  and  forensic  reputation.  The 
one  is  earned  with  facility  and  despatch,  is  brisk  and  animated 
vv'hilst  it  docs  endure,  and  is  sure  to  expand  the  heart  of  its  pos- 
sessor with  false  conceptions  of  his  own  importance  ;  the 
other  is  the  reward  of  diligent  research  and  perseverinj; 
study,  and  though  solid  and  durable,  when  it  arrives,  is  so 
silent  in  its  progress,  as  rarely  to  reveal  its  approaches  by  a 
sudden  introduction  to  a  wide  circle  of  attention. 

By  a  premature  participation  in  the  charms  of  political 
fame,  many  of  the  most  captivating  prospects  of  renown 
and  usefulness,  which  liave  ever  dawned  upon  the  vision  of 
man,  have  been  mournfully  disappointed,  and  many  of  the 
noblest  minds  which  illumine  the  halls  of  Federal  wisdom, 
have  fallen  short  of  that  sterling  power  and  iulluence,  in  the 
public  Councils,  v.diich  a  rich  store  of  learning  and  acumen 
combined  with  unfailing  dexterity  in  debate,  is  sure  to  im- 
part to  those  who  have  been  previously  trained  in  the  con- 
tentions of  the  bar.  It  should  be  the  first  object  of  every 
generous  youth,  vvho-aspires  to  solid  and  imperishable  fame, 
to  amass  an  extensive  stock  of  ])rofessional  knowledge  and 
experience,  to  settle  the  habits  of  life  upon  a  firm  and  im- 
movable basis,  to  draw  largely  from  the  most  approved 
fountains  of  intclleetual  light,  and  to  rear  upon  the  founda- 
tion of  these  attainments,  a  durable  and  commanding  struc- 
ture of  reputation,  anterior  to  his  entrance  upon  the  broad 
stage  of  political  strife.  Tiie  excellence  thus  acquired,  like 
the  rod  of  the  prophet,  will  cause  refreshing  fountains  to 
arise,  and  fragrant  blossoms  to  expand,  and  generous  fruits 
to  grow  upon  the  desert  wastes  of  human  life,  whilst  the 
intoxicating  draught  of  political  notoriety,  like  a  delirious 
vision,  yields 

"  a  frothy  joy, 

Wliicli  mantles  lii-li,  sparkles  aud  expirCs. 

jK'uviii,;^  ihc  yjiil  iiiuie  v;i|iiJ  than  before." 


IkiL  a[)arl  from  the  cai);iciLy  for  rcndcriii^  important  services 
to  his  country,  and  the  ability  to  contend  with  its  most  gift- 
ed men,  which  will  enhance  tlie  value  of  his  faculties,  who 
has  been  strengthened  by  the  exercises  of  tlie  bar,  his  char- 
acter will  receive  a  fresh  hue  to  its  attractions  and  splendour, 
from  the  inf'aence  of  his  political  acquisitions.  And  a  per- 
son thus  situated,  may  divest  himself  of  his  political  predi- 
lections with  as  much  ease  as  he  can  part  w^ith  his  cloak  after 
having  emerged  from  a  passing  shower,  and  return  with  fresh 
alacrity  and  confidence  to  the  patii  of  forensic  pursuits.  But 
if  professional  acquirements  shall  have  been  neglected  pre- 
vious to  an  entrance  into  political  strife,  these  prolific 
sources  of  power  and  wealth  w"ill  probably  be  forever  de- 
serted. For  it  is  the  jjcculiar  nature  of  political  duties  and 
engagements,  to  relax  the  usual  discipline  of  the  mind,  to 
disorder  its  habits,  to  weaken  its  energies,  and  to  inspire  an 
invincible  disrelish  for  the  minute  researches  and  jejune  la- 
bors of  the  Law,  and  for  every  other  duty  which  requires 
much  severity  of  thought.  If,  under  these  circumstances,  a 
])erson  should  be  compelled  to  abandon  the  exciting  incidents 
of  the  public  scene,  either  by  the  decision  of  the  popular 
voice  or  by  the  claims  of  domestic  duty,  he  is  apt,  in  the  fu- 
ture stages  of  iiis  life,  to  be  afflicted  with  that  hopeless  spirit 
of  despondency  which  will  chiefly  result  from  the  absence 
of  congenial  employments.  From  this  sad  incumbrance  up- 
on his  happiness,  no  accession  which  has  been  been  added  to 
his  fame,  no  matter  how  splendid,  will  certainly  deliver  him, 
for  he  has  deserted  public  life,  and  is  consequently  bereaved 
of  that  measure  of  artificial  excitement  with  which  it  con- 
stantly buoyed  up  his  feelings.  lie  is  not  able  to  seek  com- 
fort in  the  engagements  of  the  Bar,  for  he  will  have  lost 
both  his  relish  for  such  exercises  and  his  ability  to  perform 
them.  And  he  is  totally  unfitted  for  the  extraction  of  com- 
fort Irom  the  private  sources  of  human  entertainment,  for  lliey 
■•'Vii'  :q)pear  vapid  to  hi.'^  taste  lUi-J  loatiiscmc  to   liis  leclingfe. 


SS'  ADDRESS. 

Tliis  will  be  the  inevitable  condiUon  oi"  that  individual  who 
has  not  secured  a  liberal  supply  of  lep;al  knowledge  previous 
to  his  entrance  upon  the  stage  of  public  life. 

But  this  keen  jnirsuit  of  the  imagined  felicities  and  pros- 
}->ects  of  the  political  scene,  is  not  injurious  to  the  interests 
of  individuals  alone.  It  lies  at  the  root  of  our  national 
strength  like  a  canker  at  the  root  of  the  rosebud.  It  disturbs 
the  stream  of  the  public  health  and  happiness  in  its  fountain 
springs.  For  the  youth,  who  are  sent  to  the  Colleges  and 
Schools  of  the  country,  wmII  be  quickly  tempted  by  a  percc])- 
tion  of  that  universal  weight  and  consideration  which  spring 
from  ])olitical  popularity  and  influence,  to  grow  restless  under 
that  wholesome  discipline  which  is  iniposed  by  scholastic 
authority,  and  to  resign  the  most  precious  moments  of  their 
College  career  to  the  showy  but  ephemeral  productions 
which  frequently  emanate  from  the  Halls  of  Legislation. 

A  blight  of  incurable  inefficiency  will  thus  descend  u})on 
the  wdiole  surface  of  human  pursuits.  The  charms  of  posi- 
tive virtue  will  be  diminished,  in  consequence  of  the  pub- 
lic mind  being  seized  with  a  false  conception  and  with  a 
false  estimation  of  the  true  accomplishments  of  man.  For 
while  the  national  taste  is  vitiated  by  a  principle  of  wild  and 
unregulated  devotion  to  the  means  of  political  aggrandize- 
ment, the  citizen  will  not  be  valued  for  the  solid  splendour 
of  his  productions  in  literature,  for  the  depth  and  diversity 
of  his  attainments  in  learning,  for  tlic  brilliancy  of  his  dis- 
coveries in  general  science,  for  his  beneficent  inventions  in 
the  sphere  of  mechanical  ingenuity,  for  that  profound  pene- 
■tration  into  the  sources  of  agricultural  wealth,  which  will 
enable  him  to  abridge  the  labors  and  multiply  the  produc- 
tions of  the  farmer,  nor  for  the  bright  exemplification  of  the 
?.vhole  catalogue  of  moral  virtues.  No:  these  grand  ingre- 
dients in  the  sum  of  human  happiness  will  appear  as  light  as 
■the  down  on  a  linnet's  wing,  when  compared  with  command- 
ing poj.iuhirily  and  nu\\'ing  and  poiiqjous  hai'angucs  in   Con- 


\nDRnss.  39 

gress — tlie  one  of  wliich  croatioiis  may  bo  iiulebtcd  for  its 
birth  to  a  superior  capacity  for  practising  tlie  arts  of  dcocp- 
lion,  and  tlie  other  to  the  redundant  flowings  of  a  wild  and 
undisciplined  Amcy. 

If  you  are  anxious  to  realize  the  tendency  of  this  despotic 
passion  to  absorb  every  other  consideration  in  life,  watch 
the  road  which  leads  to  your  political  Metropolis  whilst  the 
Legislature  is  in  session,  and  observe  how  it  will  be  thronged 
with  passengers  of  every  grade  of  fortune  and  of  every  shade 
of  character,  who  are  eagerly  wending  their  way  to  this  focus 
of  all  eyes,  of  all  hearts,  and  as  many  would  have  it,  of  all 
wisdom.  Mark  the  keen  anxiety  which  pervades  every  cir- 
cle in  society,  when  the  result  of  a  political  election  is  about 
to  be  made  known  ;  and  observe  the  course  of  conversation 
in  every  group  of  persons  in  wliich  you  may  chance  to  enter, 
and  see  if  it  does  not,  in  its  various  alternations  and  change.-;, 
fix  at  last  upon  the  party  politics  of  the  country.  The  j)cr- 
petual  topics  of  discussion  with  men  of  all  professions,  during 
their  intervals  of  leisure,  are  the  prospects  which  indicate 
the  downfall  of  one  Administration  and  the  elevation  of  an- 
other upon  its  ruins  ;  the  symptoms  which  flatter  one  candi- 
date for  Congress  with  the  hopes  of  success,  and  menace  an- 
other with  the  terrors  of  defeat ;  or  the  inliuence  which  an 
election  in  some  particular  State  will  exert  over  the  fortunes 
and  destinies  of  an  aspirant  to  the  Presidency  of  the  Union. 

Every  unfledged  nestling  in  politics  turns  with  an  eye 
of  solicitation  to  a  seat  in  the  State  Legislature.  Every 
politician  of  mature  age,  whose  character  is  not  in  a  positive 
degree  insuflerable,  is  looking  forward  with  tremulous  ea- 
gerness, to  a  place  in  the  Hall  of  National  Representatives, 
to  a  situation  in  one  of  the  Cabinet  departments,  or  in  the 
Diplomatic  service  of  the  Country.  Every  decent  citizen 
is  panting  for  some  post  of  public  preferment  and  profit,  and 
'  those  who  have  not  been  sufficiently  fortunate  to  obtain  any 
other /?09/,  ^xq poi^iina;  their  way  with  a  provident  share  of 


40  ADDRESS. 

speed,  to  the  Republic  of  Texas.  Politics,  indeed,. nppear  tc 
■swallow  ever}'  other  interest,  and  the  whole  surface  of  the 
Earth  seems  to  be  covered  with  Politicians,  as  Egypt  once 
swarmed  with  locusts.  Very  few  seem  to  rely  for  respecta- 
bility and  happiness,  upon  the  certainty  of  fdling  up  the 
measure  of  their  social  and  domestic  duties.  Very  few  ap- 
pear to  take  refuge  for  consolation  and  support,  in  the  agri- 
cultural and  professional  pursuits  of  Society.  All  are  de- 
voutly participating  in  politics,  without  taking  time  to  con- 
sider, that  this  is  an  appetite  "  which  grows  on  what  it  feeds,"* 
that  when  a  person  once  becomes  delighted  with  that  violent 
sort  of  excitement  which  springs  from  scenes  of  agitation  and 
contention,  it  becomes  as  essential  to  his  happiness,  as  is  res- 
piration to  the  functions  of  life,  that  the  time  will  necessari- 
ly arrive,  when  this  passion  must  yield  to  the  claims  of  bu- 
siness, of  fiimily,  or  of  advanced  age,  and  that  then  a  painful 
void  will  be  experienced,  which  nothing  beneath  the  skies 
can  fill.  The  soothing  endearments  of  kindred  affection,  the 
balmy  counsels  of  true  friendship,  and  the  rracred  ministra- 

1^.  tions  of  genuine  virtue,  will  all  glance  from  his  estranged  heart, 
without  leaving  even  a  transient  impression  behind  them,  and 
instead  of  reaching  an  age  of  soft  and  serene  repose,  his  de- 
clining years  will  cover  a  dreary  and  unproductive  space. 
It  is  natural  too,  that  he  who  has  drawn  his  best  enjoyments 
from  troul)led  fountains,  and  from  violent  sensations, 
should  be  feebly  moved  by  the  tranquil  sources  of  human 
delight  and  happiness.  It  is  reasonable  to  believe,  that  the 
tender  notes  of  friendship  will  fall  unheeded  upon  that  ear, 
■vvhich  has  long  been  accustomed  to  the  din  of  the  Court-yard 

'  and  of  the  IMuster-tield,  to  the  boisterous  discussions  of  the 
Hall  of  Legislation,  and  which  has  been  wont  to  drink  in  no 
blissful  music,  but  the  shout  of  victory  at  the  close  of  a  suc- 
cessful campaign.  Indeed,  it  would  lie  as  unnatural  to  ex- 
pect such  an  individual,  to  reap  satisfaction  from  the  smooth 
and  quiet  pleasures  of  private  life,  as  it  would  be  to  anticl- 


pate  p!ea?fiire  for  the   habitual  resident  ijf  a  Courtly  atmos- 
phere, when  suddenly  enclosed  in  the  cave   of  a  hermit 

This  consuming  rage  for  political  promotion  has  its  origin 
then,  in  the  circumstance  of  looking  upon  power  and  station 
as  the  only  objects  beneath  the  circuit  of  the  sun,  which  are 
worthy  of  a  place  in  the  fond  regard  of  man.  It  has  its  ori- 
gin in  the  same  principle  we  are  habitually  prone  to  condemn 
so  unsparingly  in  the  governments  of  the  elder  world.  Yes, 
we  may  decry  the  people  of  France  and  of  England,  on  ac- 
count of  their  fondness  for  pageantry  and  titles,  as  liberally 
as  we  may  choose  ;  but  this  is  a  passion  which  burns  with  as 
intense  fury  in  the  American  bosom,  as  it  does  in  the  bosoms 
of  any  other  rational  beings  on  the  surface  of  the  globe.  The 
passion  for  titles  may  be  concealed  on  this  side  of  the  Atlan- 
tic, under  the  mask  of  a  different  form;  but  it  nevertheless 
does  exist  in  the  fullness  of  its  vigor.  It  is  but  the  blossom, 
too,  of  that  appendage  to  a  monarchical  government,  which,  of 
all  others,  is  least  congenial  to  the  simple  tastes  and  afTections 
which  are  the  life  of  a  Republic  ;  and  unless  it  should  be 
speedily  restrained  in  its  march  to  uncontrolled  ascendancy, 
by  the  saving  spirit  of  reform,  which  originally  gave  life  to 
our  system,  it  will  ultimately  ripen  into  an  aristocracy  as 
ponderous  and  unwieldly  as  that  of  Britain. 

This  passion,  too,  instead  of  abating  in  its  force  and  fervor, 
is  growing  like  an  insinuating  and  fatal  epidemic,  and  as  a 
necessary  concomitant  of  power  and  place,  it  has  inspired 
our  people  with  an  ardent  thirst  for  show,  pageantry  and  os- 
tentation. It  is  as  natural  that  these  disastrous  results  should 
flow  from  such  a  pernicious  source,  as  it  is  that  the  leaves 
should  be  unfolded  by  the  genial  warmth  of  Spring.  Thus 
a  spirit  of  extravagance  is  engendered,  fortunes  are  squan- 
dered, characters  are  impaired  and  ruined,  and  the  primitive 
tastes  and  habits  of  the  people  will  be  most  sadly  corruptee* 
Is  it  to  be  expected,  that  the  American  principles  alon^  *^^ 
composed  of  such  a  stern  material  as  to  resist  and  war^'^"  ^"® 
r 


42  ADDRESS. 

corrupting  influonce  of  this  al;\rming  and  desdurtive  passion .' 
Some  of  the  fairest,  most  splendid  and  happily  constructed 
governments  of  antiquity,  haA^e  crumbled  and  perished  be- 
neath the  incuinbent  Aveight  of  some  pernicious  propensity. 
The  Lacedemonian  Republic  was  destroyed  by  the  introduc- 
tion of  overflowing  wealth,  combined  with  its  consequent 
fl-uit,  an  inordinate  lust  of  gain.  The  Athenian  Republic 
perished  by  the  united  force  and  influence  of  the  fondness  of 
the  people  for  luxury,  and  their  insatiable  thirst  for  Theatrical 
amusements.  And  the  Roman  Republic  was  consigned  to 
destruction  by  that  universal  popular  debasement,  which 
flowed  from  the  prevalence  of  luxury  and  sloth  among  the 
'  people.  ]May  it  not  be  the  sad  misfortune  of  the  future  his- 
torian, to  record  the  mournful  fact,  that  the  exciting  hopes 
of  this  Republic  were  crushed  in  the  embrace  of  that  fell 
scourge,  political  ambition  ! 

But  there  is  another  mournful  evil  which  flows  from  this 

propensity,  the  continual  strife  of  parties  for  the  ascendancy 

in  matters  of  government.     There  is  no  public  vice  which 

scatters  in  its  train  a  more   desolating  tribe  of  evils,  than 

this.      By  its  baneful   influence  and    operations,  the   tears 

of  widowhood  and  of  orphanage  are  caused  to  flow  in  torrents 

for  the  shed  blood  of  those  public   men  who   fall  in  single 

combat,  for  some  transient  spark  of  irritation,  struck   out 

by  the  momentary  heat  of  discussion.     The  complexion  of 

all  the  private  relations  of  life,  is  frequently  changed  entirely ; 

fathers  are  alienated  from  sons ;  brothers  are  torn  from  each 

other's  fond  embrace;  friends  are  converted  into  implacable 

enemies;    large   towns   and    extensive    neighborhoods    are 

thrown  into  a  state  of  sad  and   insufferable   confusion ;   our 

..A  annual  elections,  which  were  intended  to  cleanse  the  sjDrings, 

*f  political  authority  from  the  dregs  of  abuse,  are  converted 

i"^»- theatres  of  angry  contention  and  disgraceful  confusion, 

of  sanujiiug  conflicts  between  man  and  man,  and  between 

party  ant*  party ;   the  hall   of  Legislation   is  frequently  a 


\DDREjvS.  43 

theatre  of  disgraceful  scrambles  for  victory;  public  measures 
are  viewed  through  a  distorted  medium,  and  their  excel- 
lence is  estimated,  and  consequently  their  ultimate  fate  de- 
cided, not  according  to  the  measure  of  good  which  they  are 
calculated  to  render  to  the  country,  but  by  the  nature  of  the 
source  from  which  they  happen  to  spring.  Can  it  be  rationally 
presunxed  that  any  country  will  enjoy  an  expanded  and  health- 
ful degree  of  prosperity,  the  sweets  of  an  unmolested  repose, 
or  a  permanent  stability  of  i',;iracter  and  purpose,  when  the 
laws  which  are  passed  for  the  jjreservation  of  life  and  property, 
and  for  the  control  and  guidance  of  the  conduct  of  man,  are 
adopted  upon  the  arl)itrary  dictates  of  party  feeling,  and  when 
those  upon  whose  decision  are  suspended  the  destinies  of  the 
Republic,  are  chosen,  not  upon  the  high  considerations  of  in- 
tegrity, ability  and  patriotism,  but  upon  the  ground  of  abso- 
Jute  and  uncompromising  devotion  to  the  interests  of  a  par- 
ticular party.  When  this  most  baneful  evil  is  so  prevalent 
in  the  community,  the  vilest  miscreant  may  sneak  into 
power,  and  deliver  to  the  country  those  rules  which  are  to 
bind  the  action  of  tlie  present  generation,  and  of  posterity. 
And  even  should  good  and  pure  men  be  elected  to  fill  the 
highest  seats  of  legislative  responsibility  in  despite  of  the 
ruthless  dictation  of  the  spirit  of  party,  yet  we  are  not  pro- 
vided even  then  with  any  prevailing  pledge,  any  satisfacto- 
ry assurance,  that  the  measures  they  adopt  will  be  salutary 
and  beneficent  in  their  character  ;  for  good  men  are  suscep- 
tible of  the  same  transient  impulses  of  passion  and  prejudice 
which  invade  the  bosoms  of  others.  And  when  influenced 
by  the  spirit  of  party,  they  may  be  so  completly  infatuated, 
as  to  believe  that  they  are  exerting  their  powers  in  the  ser- 
vice of  their  country,  when  they  are  executing  the  most  de- 
basing requisitions  of  their  party.  They  may  elect  incom- 
prtent  and  worthless  men  to  administer  the  justice  of  the 
country,  for  (he  purpose  of  g!\'in^  an  ostensible  demon- 
^frution     to    the    world,   of    their    ascendancy  ;    and    they 


44  ADDUCS*. 

may  likewise  pass  unwholesome  and  pernicious  laws ; 
laws  which  will  poison  the  fountain  of  justice,  and  paralyse 
the  rights  of  the  citizen,  merely  because  they  originate  with 
their  party.  Every  Presidential  P^lection  which  passes  over 
the  country,  is  certain  to  shake  the  fabric  of  our  Union  from 
its  centre,  to  its  remotest  extremities.  Every  aspirant  after 
popular  favor,  when  the  election  has  terminated  adversely 
to  his  wishes,  is  almost  certain  to  prefer  the  charge  of  cor- 
ruption against  his  more  successful  rival.  The  most  indif- 
ferent and  praiseworthy  acts  of  the  public  man  are  frequently 
ascribed  by  an  opposing  party,  to  bad  and  unworthy  motives; 
and  opprobrium  and  censure,  being  thus  indiscriminately  ap- 
plied on  all  occasions  to  good  and  innocent  deeds,  as  well 
as  to  those  which  are  base  and  pernicious,  will  cease  to  grate 
harshly  upon  the  public  ear,  will  totally  lose  their  signifi- 
cancy  and  their  terrors,  and  when  bad  deeds  are  actually 
committed,  there  will  be  no  sting  and  no  pang  imparted  tQ 
the  authors  of  lliem,  by  the  just  and  honest  censures  of  the 
public. 

This  spirit  of  party,  however  it  may  be  disguised  under 
the  name  of  public  spirit,  is  nothing  else  than  the  lust  of  in- 
dividual domination.  In  seeking  the  gratification  of  indi- 
vidual prejudices,  and  the  promotion  of  individual  aspira- 
tions, it  has  covered  with  undeserved  obloquy,  some  of  the 
most  illustrious  benefactors  of  tlic  human  race.  Through 
the  influence  of  faction,  the  immortal  Duke  of  Marlboro' 
was  reduced  to  the  most  abject  disgrace,  after  he  had  raised 
the  character  of  his  country  to  a  i)itch  of  unexampled  glorv. 
Thro*  the  influence  of  party  spirit,  in  the  councils  of  Carthage, 
Hannibal  was  prevented,  immediately  after  the  overwhelm- 
ing success  of  Canrifc,  from  recei\ing  those  supplies  of  men 
and  treasure,  which  would  have  closed,  speedily  and  forever, 
the  career  of  Roman  power  ;  and  this  circumstance  caused 
the  shades  of  night  to  veil  forever  the  destinies  of  Carthage. 

Jthasbpen  predicted  by  «  dopp  searchc:  into  the  source?  of 


political  events,  and  revolutions,  ttiat  if  England  should  ever 
he  deprived  of  her  liberty  and  power,  the  mournful  disaster 
will  result  from  the  prevalence  of  faction  in  her  councils. — 
And  if  the  same  penetrating  writer  were  now  upon  the  shore 
of  human  existence,  he  might  predict  with  equal  confidence, 
perhaps,  that  should  this  country,  the  scene  of  the  sweetest 
visions,  and  hrightest  realities  of  public  freedom,  ever  fade 
from  the  map  of  Republics,  she  will  owe  the  melancholy  ca- 
tastrophe to  the  spirit  of  party. 

Whilst  this  desolating  infatuation  prevails  in  our  country, 
the  spirit  of  patriotism  will  be  a  stranger  in  the  land,  and  ail 
the  blissful  hopes,  and  transporting  anticipations,  which  clus- 
tered around  tiie  cradle  of  our  Government,  and  which  have 
lingered  upon  its  progress  from  infancy  to  maturitv,  will  be 
obscured  bv  the  disastrous  mists  of  twilighu 

Whilst  this  grim  harbinger  of  tlie  son'ows  of  futuritv  stands 
by  the  spring  of  our  National  glory  and  happiness,  to  cast 
the  roots  of  bitterness  into  its  waters,  the  stream  of  our  po- 
litical   comforts   will   flow   in    a    mingled  current 

Whilst  this  Angel  of  destruction  hovers  over  the  citadel  of 
nur  national  strength,  the  silver  trumpetof  American  renown 
will  bear  amingled  strain  to  the  world.  Sever  this  passion  for 
political  power  at  its  root,  and  it  will  be  as  natural  for  this 
baleful  enemy  of  our  public  and  social  peace  to  perish,  as  it 
is  for  the  blossoms  to  fall,  and  the  leaves  to  wither,  after  the 
axehasbeenapplied  to  the  rootof  theparenttree.  Intheholv 
enterprize  of  relieving  your  country  from  a  despotism,  as  j)er. 
nicious  and  intolerantasauy  which  blooms  and  strengthens  bc' 
neath  the  genial  influences  of  an  oriental  sky,  you  will  be 
cheered  bv  the  smiles,  honored  bv  the  blessin<rs.  and  invi"-- 
orated  by  the  prayers  of  those  fair  and  ethereal  comforters, 
by  whose  inciting  presence  we  are  now  honored  ;  those  who 
are  earliest  at  the  cradle  of  patriotism,  and  Avho  linger 
]ate>t  at  its  grave;  tbo^e  who.  by  their  maqir  pow- 
ers   of   inspiration,    lundled    .•fresh    Ih';    CNpinng   flatne    of 


46  ADD  RES?. 

patrioLisin  ia  llie  darkest  periods  of  the  Revolution  ;  those 
for  whose  preservation  the  pure  and  heroic  bosom  would  be 
willing  to  revolutionize  the  world.  Perform  your  part  in 
consummating;  this  divine  achievement,  and  the  blessings  of 
the  patriot  will  gild  the  path  of  your  journey  through  life, 
and  the  tears  of  the  patriot  will  descend  upon  your  tombs 
forever !  .-  . 


.V"  • 


#* 


i  ■  ■**:■' 


m 


J 


